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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243100">The Next Best Thing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamDamon/pseuds/TeamDamon'>TeamDamon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Ball</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bottom Son Goten, Cheating, Daddy Kink, Explicit Sexual Content, Future Trunks is.... probably in his 30s? I should nail that down, Goten is 25, Gross, Listen the idea came to me at 3 AM and then I wrote it all today idk, M/M, Oh god now it’s a series fml, Top Trunks Briefs, and clearly so is the author, angst ahoy, anyway, details? who cares about details hahhaa, dunno where that came from but who am I to question, really more a semi-triangle, these guys are a mess but they’re trying, ugh god did this really become a love triangle??</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 20:22:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>45,505</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24243100</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamDamon/pseuds/TeamDamon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Goten has been in love with Trunks all his life, but Trunks only loves him like a brother. When Goten is 25, Future Trunks pays a friendly visit to the gang and Goten starts to wonder if maybe there’s a way to get a taste of what he wants after all.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Future Trunks Briefs/Future Son Gohan, Future Trunks Briefs/Son Goten, Trunks Briefs/Son Goten</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>91</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>225</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Yeah so this idea sprung to mind when I was half asleep last night and then I woke up and just started writing and didn’t stop until I was done 😳 I really reaaaally enjoyed writing this and I hope you guys will enjoy reading it! Might add more to it later but for now it’s a oneshot 👀</p><p>Oh also, I refer to Future Trunks specifically as “Future Trunks” in the first half because regular Trunks is nearby so I felt the need to differentiate, but in the second half Future Trunks is just Trunks because his other self isn’t around 😂 hopefully that makes sense lol. Anyway thanks for reading and see you guys soon!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He was standing outside under a string of lights, drink in hand as he watched his family from another lifetime laugh and mingle across the Capsule Corp grounds. He took a small sip of his drink - something mixed, sweet - and smiled lightly at something that must have amused him, but the man watching him didn’t look away long enough to find out what it was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten hadn’t been able to take his eyes off of him since the moment he’d arrived. The stranger from the future who wore his best friend’s face was a mystery to Goten and always had been, his latest visit for once not brought on by a looming apocalypse but rather a simple desire to visit his family. Goten wondered how it felt, this other Trunks coming here and seeing both of his parents alive and well, his own counterpart grown up and happily engaged to a beautiful woman, and a little sister he didn’t have in his own time blossoming into a stunning young warrior. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wouldn’t be here if not for Future Trunks. Neither would Goten, for that matter. The peace and stability they enjoyed would never have been possible without Future Trunks’ intervention all those years ago, and yet it was a blessing that he himself could only enjoy in scattered glimpses like these. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t fair, Goten thought. Then again, he mused as his gaze briefly slid to his Trunks, the boy he’d known and loved since birth, few things were. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The party was in full swing, and Goten found it easy to sink into the shadows next to Future Trunks. Everyone else was tipsy and all caught up in their own little worlds as always, but Goten wasn’t interested in them. No, his attention hadn’t wavered once since his best friend’s older counterpart had arrived for his visit earlier that day. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not much for parties?” Goten asked quietly, nursing a beer as he leaned against the same wall Future Trunks was leaning against, a few inches separating them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The older man quirked a small smile, shaking his head faintly and making his long hair sway across his jaw. The lavender locks reached his shoulders, tied back at the nape of his neck while the front pieces spilled loose and framed his face. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>achingly</span>
  </em>
  <span> beautiful, Goten thought. “I like parties. It’s just always surreal, coming back here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet,” Goten mused, following Future Trunks’ gaze to his younger self, currently dancing with the giggling blonde he was set to marry in a matter of months. Goten’s heart stung at the sight, the echo of an old wound that had never quite healed and likely never would. “He’s happy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can see that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s gaze flicked back up. “How about you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks’ gaze grew a little less focused, and Goten wasn’t surprised. He remembered being a kid and watching him fly off back into the future with a fierce brunette at his side and thinking they’d live happily ever after, but apparently that hadn’t been the case. “My world’s not as forgiving as this one.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ever think about just staying?” Goten asked, taking a swig of his beer. “I think you’ve earned it, after everything you’ve done.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think about it all the time,” he admitted, to Goten’s surprise. “But it wouldn’t be right. Or fair to Little Me.” He paused. “Other Me. He’s not so little anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s lips quirked at that. “No, he’s not. But I don’t think he’d mind.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks just shook his head. “I’ve meddled with time enough. Don’t want to push my luck anymore than I already have.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Didn’t stop you from visiting, though,” Goten noted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks sighed. “No it didn’t.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not that I’m complaining. After all,” Goten chuckled, “I wouldn’t exist if not for you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks smiled and turned his head to look at Goten for the first time since he’d approached. Goten took another drink, trying to appear casual even though he felt a little fidgety under that intense blue gaze. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Future Trunks eventually murmured. “You look just like him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shrugged. “I get that a lot. My dad’s genes are strong, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not your dad,” the other man clarified. “Gohan.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten paused. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Huh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That was different. “Oh.” Another pause, and then, “He trained you in your time, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks nodded and then looked down, staring into the still mostly full glass in his hand. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“.... Sorry,” Goten sighed. “Didn’t mean to bring that up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay,” Future Trunks smiled, raising his eyes back to Goten’s. “I’m the one who brought him up.” He paused. “How old are you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“25,” Goten replied. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“25,” Future Trunks breathed, looking away again. “Gohan - my Gohan - was 24 when he died.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten wasn’t sure how old Future Trunks was now, or what year he had left to come and visit this one. He was as ageless as any other Saiyan, his face eternally youthful despite the heaviness that Goten could see hiding within it. Goten’s Trunks was so different, so much lighter and less weighed down, unscathed by the darkness that his future self had weathered throughout his entire life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Coming here and seeing him happy, married with a family,” Future Trunks said, eyes on Gohan as he laughed at something his now-adolescent daughter Pan said, “it’s amazing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But despite his words, his eyes betrayed the hurt that Goten was surprised to find. At first he thought it was just grief, but the longer Goten stared the more he recognized what it truly was. He knew it intimately, more than he’d ever wanted to. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Longing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Specifically, longing for something he could never </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> have. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You loved him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks froze. He blinked and looked at Goten, startled. “What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Your Gohan,” Goten clarified. “You loved him.” When Future Trunks opened his mouth to presumably deny it, Goten added, “You don’t have to lie to me. I won’t tell anyone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks stared at him, clearly speechless. Goten simply smiled at him and let his gaze pointedly shift to his Trunks as he remarked, “I know what it’s like to love someone you can’t have.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks’ eyes widened fractionally, shifting back and forth between Goten and his other self a few times. “You mean -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Since forever,” Goten smiled bitterly. “But he thinks of me as a brother. Told me so when I finally told him how I felt when we were teenagers.” Forcing a deep breath, Goten then glanced up at Future Trunks. “How about you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks quickly looked away, swallowing before giving his answer. “He… I was just a kid. He didn’t know. Wouldn’t have mattered either way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten nodded, lifting his beer bottle back to his lips. “Sucks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks took a drink too. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t what he wanted to have in common with Future Trunks, but at the same time he couldn’t say it was very surprising. Some people just didn’t get those kinds of happy endings. Maybe, he mused, it was the price they each paid for being alive and cheating fate. Could have been worse, he supposed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten caught Future Trunks watching Gohan as he twirled Videl around on a makeshift dance floor, the two of them as in love as ever after over a decade of marriage. “Do you love our Gohan, too?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks startled again, clearly surprised by Goten’s bluntness. Frankly, Goten himself was too. After a moment, Future Trunks’ icy blue eyes shifted back to Goten and he asked, “I don’t know - do you have feelings for </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Somehow, he’d expected that question. Goten shrugged, meeting Future Trunks’ gaze as fearlessly as he could. “It’s a mindfuck,” he admitted. “Because you’re him but you’re not. You have his face and his voice and parts of his personality, but in other ways you’re like night and day. I’m guessing Gohan’s the same way to you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks looked away, clenching his jaw. Goten couldn’t help but admire his profile, wishing he could reach out and touch his hair. See if it was as soft as </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks’ hair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We shouldn’t be talking about this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten raised a brow. “Why not?” When Future Trunks only shook his head, gaze still averted, Goten added, “I think we understand each other better than anyone else ever could.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Doesn’t change anything.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Goten agreed. “But maybe that’s not the point.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then what is?” Future Trunks asked, his tone a touch impatient. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten pushed off of the wall and stepped in front of Future Trunks, giving him no choice but to look at him. “I didn’t grow up with you, so you don’t see me as a brother. And I’m not dead, or married with a kid.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks’ lips parted slowly as realization dawned on him, the implications of Goten’s words unmistakable. Still, he muttered, “Goten, you can’t mean… that’s…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Probably not the healthiest coping mechanism,” he conceded with a shrug. “But I don’t really give a shit. I’ve spent my whole life forcing myself to smile and be happy for him even when it kills me, and you saved a world you don’t even get to fucking live in. I think we’ve both earned the right to be selfish for once, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But the older man clearly wasn’t convinced. Even as he dragged his eyes down Goten’s face to his shoulders and chest, barely contained in a dark blue button down shirt, then his narrow waist and hips encased in jeans that might as well have been painted on, Future Trunks shook his head and muttered, “I’m not him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And I’m not Gohan,” Goten replied. “But I’m the next best thing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks swallowed, lashes fluttering as he blinked several times, conflict written all over his face. Goten knew that he was in no condition to make a decision right then, so he took mercy and said, “Just think about it. I’m staying here tonight, so if you change your mind just find my ki.” Then he leaned in close, his lips nearly brushing Future Trunks’ ear as he murmured lowly, “If you come, I’ll let you do anything you want to me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The faint shudder that ran through Future Trunks’ body and didn’t escape Goten’s notice, inspiring the grin that spread across his lips as he pulled away. Future Trunks stared at him with flushed cheeks and dilated eyes, and as Goten turned and walked away, he had to admit - he was feeling pretty good about his chances. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now, he thought as he said his goodbyes and retired for the night, all he had to do was wait. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time 3 AM grew near, Goten was fairly sure that his optimism had been misplaced. He laid in the guest room’s queen sized bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to ignore how increasingly disappointed he felt as the minutes carelessly ticked by. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it didn’t matter which incarnation of Trunks he tried to seduce. Maybe he was just destined to never be desired by him, no matter the circumstances. The price he paid for existing, perhaps. Fate’s way of sticking it to him after failing the first time around, </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was on the verge of closing his eyes and rolling over to fall asleep when a soft, almost timid knock at the door made him nearly jump out of his skin. Sitting up and blinking, he tried to sense the visitor’s ki but found it suppressed. He grinned and hopped out of bed, hoping it meant what he suspected it did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shirtless and only wearing a pair of low slung gray pajama pants, Goten went to the door and opened it to find an extremely nervous Trunks - not </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks, but the other, enigmatic one from the future - standing on the other side. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You came,” Goten breathed, drinking in the sight of him. He really was so damn gorgeous it hurt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I shouldn’t have,” Trunks near-whispered, a light, pretty blush on his cheeks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bet I can change your mind,” Goten grinned, grabbing the other man by the lapel of his jacket and pulling him inside, kicking the door shut behind him. He then reached for Trunks, moving in for the kiss he’d been craving for years, but Trunks put his hands on his shoulders and stopped him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait,” Trunks muttered, and Goten stilled in an instant. “Are you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure about this?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shot him a weary look. “Seriously?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, seriously. This won’t change anything,” he pointed out. “And I don’t wanna fuck up your friendship with him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled a little wistfully, bringing his hands to Trunks’ arms and running over them through his clothes. “You really </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> different from him, huh.” Trunks tilted his head curiously, and Goten added, “He’s more selfish. Takes things for granted sometimes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s had the luxury of those things being an option, I guess,” Trunks muttered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Goten agreed distantly, distracted as he slowly pushed the jacket off of Trunks’ shoulders. Once it hit the floor and revealed the tight black tank underneath and all the muscles it clung to, Goten bit his lip. “Some things are the same, though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks stood still as Goten closed the distance between them, palms landing on Trunks’ chest and slowly sliding up. “Your body,” he murmured, one hand reaching up to touch the ends of his face-framing lavender hair. “Your hair.” Then he leaned in closer and pressed his nose to the curve of Trunks’ neck, Trunks’ breath hitching as Goten inhaled. “Your scent. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he pulled away, he looked up to find Trunks staring at him through hooded eyes, that pretty flush back on his cheeks. Goten licked his lips, reminding himself why Trunks was here and the role that Goten was filling for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can call me by his name, if you want,” Goten offered, cupping Trunks’ jaw. “Or push my hair back so it looks like his. I won’t mind.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes grew pained for a fleeting second before he shook his head. “I… I don’t…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Or you can just close your eyes,” Goten offered, leaning in closer, eyes on Trunks’ lips, “and pretend.” Then Goten closed his eyes and pressed their lips together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ lips were soft, softer than Goten had ever imagined they’d be. At first Trunks barely reciprocated the kiss, his nerves still not assuaged, but Goten wrapped his arms around his neck and tilted his head and kissed him a second time, capturing his lower lip between his own, and he coaxed a sigh from the older man. Goten felt two hands gently land on his waist, and it gave him the encouragement he needed to slide his tongue across Trunks’ lips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That</span>
  </em>
  <span> made Trunks gasp and his hands tighten, and Goten couldn’t help but grin into the kiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How long’s it been?” Goten asked curiously when they broke for air, pressing kisses along Trunks’ jaw. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Awhile,” Trunks admitted, gasping again when Goten’s kisses drifted to his neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten found a particularly sensitive spot just above Trunks’ pulse, sucking and nipping until it was a lovely shade of purple and Trunks was trembling. “Fucked a guy before?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, and Goten chuckled as he straightened up and took Trunks’ hands, walking backwards with him and guiding them to the bed. “Guess that’s another way you’re different. Pretty sure my Trunks is straight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Or he just thinks he is,” Trunks shrugged, coming to a halt in front of the bed when Goten did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Goten hummed before kissing him again, neither of them holding back this time. Their tongues collided and played together as Goten reached down and quickly did away with Trunks’ belt, moving up to yank off his shirt in between fevered kisses. He didn’t hesitate to turn him around and then push him down to sit on the foot of the bed, Trunks’ palms landing on the mattress at his sides as he looked up at Goten, breathing hard already. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was what Goten had always wanted, always fantasized about since he was old enough to want it, and now that it was within his grasp - albeit in a slightly different package, so to speak - and it felt… strange. Not a bad strange, certainly, and as he stepped between Trunks’ parted legs and reached his fingertips to Trunks’ chin, he had no regrets for the actions that had led him here. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Far from it. He leaned down and kissed Trunks furiously, grateful that he’d taken his little time machine for another spin and made this possible, and he planned to make the very best of it. He trailed kisses down his throat and to his collarbone, tasting every inch of naturally tanned skin that he could and reveling in being surrounded by his familiar scent as he made his way down Trunks’ body. Trunks’ fingers slipped into Goten’s hair, curling around the soft black strands as Goten slowly slipped down to his knees. He peeked up at Trunks as his tongue slipped between the dips of his abs, making the muscles clench and then relax, and he found Trunks’ head tilted back and his eyes closed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he was imagining his brother, then. Goten didn’t begrudge him the possibility, having offered to play the role of Gohan after all, but it still stung his pride a little bit. He shook it off as best as he could, however, turning his attention to getting Trunks’ pants undone and out of the way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And once he did, his mouth watered at the sight that he was greeted with. He’d seen Trunks naked plenty of times over the years but never like this and definitely not aroused, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was perfect. He took that hard cock in his hand, slowly stroking up and down and earning a hiss from between Trunks’ teeth. He stroked until a little taste of pre-come leaked out, and when he leaned forward and licked it off with an appreciative hum, he heard Trunks gasp. This time when he looked up, Trunks’ gaze was fixed upon him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled up at him and then closed his eyes, opening his mouth and sucking him down. Trunks’ hands curled into fists in the sheets at his sides, and Goten couldn’t help but moan around him. He felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so perfect and enticing in every way, and he was so turned on himself he thought he might just end up coming entirely untouched. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The first time Goten took him all the way down and swallowed, Trunks let out a choked-off moan and then slapped his hand over his mouth, clearly mindful of the compound’s other residents. His other hand slipped back into Goten’s hair, and as Goten settled into a rhythm bobbing up and down and making obscene noises with his mouth, Trunks kept his fingers over his lips and tried to keep himself quiet despite it being a losing battle. Goten relished being Trunks’ undoing, having his cock in his mouth and hearing the noises that he was wringing from him, but he wasn’t prepared for what he heard when Trunks’ hand left his mouth and landed on Goten’s shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Go…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Would he say Gohan? </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Goten,” Trunks gasped, gently but frantically pushing at Goten. “Stop.” Goten sat back, panting and running the back of a hand over his mouth, and then Trunks was tugging him up by his hair and murmuring, “C’mere.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten then found himself on Trunks’ lap, warm hands roaming all over him as a hot tongue plundered his mouth, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> this was what he’d been waiting for. He reached a hand into Trunks’ hair and took it down, burying his fingers into the newly loosed locks and groaning into his mouth, grinding into his lap and making them both painfully aware of how badly they needed to get naked </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten laughed quietly as Trunks gathered him up and tossed him down on his back, biting his lip as he watched Trunks quickly kick off his own pants and then start crawling to him, slinking closer like a hungry predator with his long hair falling around his face in pretty waves. That image now forever seared into Goten’s memory, he happily lifted his hips when Trunks stopped to tear off his pajama pants and the boxers beneath them, opening his legs invitingly once the fabric was gone and grinning when Trunks didn’t hesitate to accept. Their lips crashed together and Goten moaned, the skin to skin contact almost too much, too good, too hot, but still he needed more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks broke away only to toss his hair over his shoulder and get it out of their faces, quickly reclaiming Goten’s lips as their bodies slid together and created a friction that quickly had them both groaning and seeking more. Goten ran his hands greedily all over Trunks, soaking in everything that he’d never gotten the chance to touch and enjoy like this, wanting to remember each tiny detail forever and ever. He gripped Trunks’ ass and leaned up to lick over the shell of his ear, gasping lowly, “Will you fuck me, Trunks?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ breath caught and he rutted harder against Goten, biting into his neck and making him hiss with pleasure. Knowing they’d come just from this if they didn’t stop soon, Goten brought a hand to Trunks’ hair and tugged gently as he whined, “Please, Trunks, I need you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks growled as he pulled away, a feral glint in his blue eyes thrilling Goten even more. He quickly reached up under his pillow and grabbed the bottle of lube that he’d stashed there earlier in a reckless act of hope, and Trunks plucked it from his fingers without a word. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Only seconds later, they were kissing again and a slick finger was pressing inside of Goten. His breath stuttered briefly but he was quick to relax into the touch, breaking their kiss as he breathed evenly and closed his eyes as he adjusted. Trunks moved slowly, watching Goten carefully as he touched him, something softer overtaking the wildness that had been in his eyes only a moment before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>God you’re beautiful.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes opened in surprise. Trunks was staring down at him in a way that Goten had always wished </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks would, and it made his heart feel like it might just split in two. He wondered if Trunks was thinking of Gohan, and when that thought only made the ache inside worse, he tried to pretend that this was </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks and that everything was okay and as it should be. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Trunks’ finger rubbed skillfully at his sweet spot, and all conscious thought dissolved in a rush of pleasure. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Trunks…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks hummed, stealing a kiss from his lips before wandering downwards, marveling, “You feel so hot, Goten, so tight…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of his name providing another jolt of pleasure, Goten moaned and then gasped as a second finger joined the first and Trunks’ lips began mapping out his chest. Goten nearly came then and there when those fingers pressed just right and wet lips closed around a sensitive nipple and sucked, but he held on for as long as he could before he was forced to gasp out, “Stop, stop, I’m gonna -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks obeyed at once, a cocky grin on his face that was so much like his younger counterpart, and as he settled back between Goten’s legs and lined them up he asked, “You ready?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten answered with a filthy, hungry kiss and a whisper of, “I want you to fuck me so hard I forget my own name.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned, kissing him back and licking into his mouth passionately, voice rough and low as he replied, “You’re killing me, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten opened his mouth to reply but was silenced as Trunks pushed inside of him, moving slowly but not stopping until he was fully seated within him. Goten forgot how to breathe, how to think, all rational thought flying out the window as Trunks became the very center of his existence. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then again, hadn’t he always been? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An unknown number of moments later Goten felt soft, sweet kisses being pressed to his temple and then his cheek, a strained but gentle voice asking, “Can I move yet?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten replied with a nod and a dreamy sort of moan, and then Trunks began to build a slow but deep rhythm. In and out he pushed, hips rolling and grinding gently, his pace only increasing once Goten started matching him thrust for thrust and grasping at his back. “Kiss me,” Goten demanded softly, and Trunks obliged with a soft moan, and from there things went from soft and careful to furious and desperate. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten kissed Trunks like he’d die without it, short nails biting into his back as Trunks began to fuck him harder, hitting that spot within him perfectly every time, and the growl that Trunks replied with set Goten’s blood on fire. He wanted Trunks to claim him, to make him his, to give him everything he’d always wanted from </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks, and at the moment he didn’t care how unfair of him it was to want those things. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Harder, Trunks,” he panted, and Trunks responded by grabbing one of his legs and lifting it higher, adjusting their angle and then pounding into him mercilessly. Goten’s eyes fluttered shut and he whimpered in appreciation, losing himself to Trunks and relishing his rough, dominant touch. Never before had he been able to experience this with someone equal or superior to his own strength, and now that he had, how could he ever go back? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Harder,” he demanded again, reaching up and curling his fingers into a fist within Trunks’ hair, pulling him down for a sloppy, hot kiss. “C’mon, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> me. Make me forget about him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The words slipped out without his permission, but he was too high on it all to really care. Trunks replied with something between a growl and a groan and murmured into Goten’s ear, “He’s a fool, Goten. You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredible</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Those words washing over Goten and making his heart ache again, he was relieved when Trunks followed them up with another change of angle and then a barrage of utterly </span>
  <em>
    <span>brutal</span>
  </em>
  <span> thrusts. </span>
  <em>
    <span>This</span>
  </em>
  <span> was what he’d needed, Goten knew, submitting entirely to the delicious pleasure-pain and hoping he’d keep feeling it all week. He held Trunks tighter, wanting this to last forever and to keep him right where he was, timelines and responsibilities be damned. Didn’t he deserve that much? Didn’t Trunks, too?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Goten,” Trunks groaned, and hearing his name on Trunks’ tongue like that was Goten’s dream come true. “I need you to come for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten nearly sobbed with anticipation, not wanting it to end but needing that euphoric release that was inching ever closer. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Trunks…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Look at me.” When Goten obeyed, Trunks wrapped a hand around his throat and didn’t squeeze, just holding him, and with that wild glint back in his eye he roughly commanded, “Come for me, Goten. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Me</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not him. You hear me? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Come for me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten was lost then, spiraling down a wave of pleasure so intense and long it was like nothing he’d ever felt before. He felt like he came again and again and </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his vision blurry and dim by the time it was over. Somewhere in the haze he heard Trunks gasp out his own orgasm, spilling inside of Goten and gently collapsing on him after he came down, and when some degree of rational thought returned to Goten, he had no idea how much time had passed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks was lying on top of him, face buried in Goten’s neck, and his softening cock was still inside of him. Goten didn’t really mind it, wrapping his arms around the older man and humming as he brought his nose to the top of Trunks’ head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That seemed to rouse Trunks, for better or worse. He took a deep breath and gently pulled out of Goten, the two men’s eyes meeting in the darkened room. Goten smiled at him, and Trunks smiled back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t go yet,” Goten whispered, tucking Trunks’ hair behind his ear. “Stay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks hesitated, glancing down Goten’s body. “I should at least get you cleaned up…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not yet,” Goten insisted. “Please.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks gave in with a breathless chuckle, letting Goten pull him back down. They shifted so that Trunks was on his back and Goten was curled up at his side, his head pillowed on Trunks’ hard chest, and Goten wished they could just stay like this forever, as impossible as it was. Nothing this good ever lasted long, he’d learned that a long time ago. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a few moments spent lying there together silently, Trunks’ fingers roaming up and down Goten’s back soothingly, Trunks was the first to speak. “You know I can’t stay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten suddenly knew he wasn’t talking about just tonight. He was talking about this entire timeline. “I know.” He lifted his head and gave Trunks a sweet smile. “Thank you for tonight. It was incredible.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks couldn’t quite bring himself to smile back. “I hope it doesn’t end up hurting you in the long run.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I really don’t care if it does,” Goten shrugged. “It was worth it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled, running the pad of his thumb along Goten’s jaw. “I hope you’re right.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten kissed his thumb, then asked a question he couldn’t have held back if he’d tried. “Were you imagining my brother?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks paused, considering those words before shaking his head and offering Goten a warm smile. “You might look just like him, but you’re nothing like my Gohan. You’re…” He shook his head slightly, trying to choose his words right. Finally he smiled wider and decided on, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re you, Goten. And I think you’re amazing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten never expected </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks from the future, a practical stranger to him outside of his rare visits, to hold the power to melt him into the ground with a handful of words. Yet here they were naked and cuddling in bed, Goten reduced to jelly in his arms from his words alone. He showed his gratitude with a kiss, and when it lingered and proved that neither man really wanted to go anywhere, Goten whispered against his lips, “Stay with me tonight, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, pressing his forehead to Goten’s and letting out a deep breath. “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled, and it was the softest, most genuine smile he’d worn in a long, long time. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The morning after, a heart to heart, and goodbyes that come too soon.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Aaaand now its a series 😂 I’m now obsessed with this so RIP me. Thank you guys so much for the amazing response!! I honestly thought next to nobody would even read it!! I’m super excited and I hope you guys like this chapter too! No idea how long it’ll be but I hope you all stick along for the ride 😂</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Goten awoke the next morning, it was to an empty bed and the sound of the shower running in the adjoining bathroom. He stretched lazily under the sheets and groaned at the telltale soreness in his lower half, a grin spreading across his lips as he exhaled deeply and allowed himself a moment to bask in the memories of the night prior as they flooded his brain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had finally gotten what he wanted, even if it wasn’t quite the same thing. It had been utterly amazing, maybe even better than he’d anticipated, and despite the hollowness he felt knowing that Trunks couldn’t stay and that this would never go anywhere - probably wouldn’t even if he </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> stay - he was sure that it had been worth it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And maybe, he thought as he tossed the covers aside and got to his feet, noting that the bathroom door had been left slightly ajar in what might have been a subtle invitation, it didn’t have to be over just yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Already naked, Goten let himself into the bathroom and hesitated only for a moment as he glanced in the mirror and ran a hand through his hair, making sure he looked the good kind of disheveled and not the less attractive kind. Then he grabbed the handle on the shower door and gently pried it open, stepping inside the hot steamy space and letting his eyes feast on the sight before him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks was standing under the spray, his back to Goten and one hand resting on the tiled wall in front of him, his body relaxed and mouthwateringly perfect as Goten’s eyes ran up the length of it. His long lavender hair was soaked and molded to his shoulders, dripping down his skin and into the dip of his lower back. Goten was thoroughly enjoying the view until Trunks turned his head, icy blue eyes meeting deep brown ones and a shiver running down Goten’s spine as Trunks then gave him his own lazy once-over. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When their eyes met again, Trunks’ lips quirked into a grin. Goten returned it and stepped forward, his heart already starting to pound again as Trunks turned around to face him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Morning, beautiful,” Trunks teased lowly as he reached for Goten, and Goten couldn’t help but blush and smile a little goofily. Who </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> this man? Could different circumstances alone really foster such significant differences in the same man?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The question drifted away from him as Trunks pulled him in for a kiss, and Goten could think of nothing else but the warm press of lips and the hot, slick body now pressed into his own. His arms wound around Trunks and held him close, his mouth opening eagerly for the tongue that swept inside of it and tasted him hungrily, and Goten moaned softly. Inside, he couldn’t help the sense of relief that washed over him knowing that Trunks still wanted him like this, even in the light of day, after their unexpected night together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Turn around,” Trunks murmured when they broke for air, and Goten was more than happy to follow his lead. He sighed and closed his eyes when Trunks pulled him against his chest and started soaping him up, his warm hands roaming softly all over his body as soft lips kissed the curve of his neck. Goten shivered and laid his head back against Trunks’ shoulder, biting his lip and not bothering to hold back a groan as Trunks cupped and groped at his pecs, teasing already-hard nipples and making him shudder with need. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks,” Goten groaned softly when those hands drifted down, over his abs and then his hips and down his thighs. Goten reached back and grasped Trunks’ wet hair in a loose fist, nudging him to raise his head for a kiss that was all tongue and quiet groans, Trunks’ own arousal unmistakable as it pressed to the small of Goten’s back. Goten rocked back and squirmed against it, earning a faint moan from Trunks, and as fun as this was, Goten felt like he might die if he didn’t get more. “Fuck me, Trunks,” he whispered against the older man’s lips. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks growled and grasped Goten’s hips hard enough to hurt just right, nipping at Goten’s lower lip. “God, you’re like a wet dream come to life, Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled widely and blushed furiously, not used to hearing such things and especially not from Trunks’ mouth. Trunks shifted them to mouth at the back of his neck and rub his cock teasingly between his cheeks, biting at him before murmuring, “You want it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm,” Goten groaned, dropping his hand from Trunks’ hair to his hip, trying to pull him closer. “Yeah, Trunks, I want it, want you. Want your cock.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Got a dirty mouth on you, don’t you,” Trunks murmured into Goten’s ear as he continued to tease him, stopping just short of pushing inside of him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please don’t tease me,” Goten all but begged, the playfulness of his tone edged out by his desperation. “Just take me, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Trunks couldn’t say no to that, even if he’d wanted to. He pushed at Goten’s shoulder until he leaned forward, pressing his palms to the tile wall, the hot water pouring down over them both as Trunks slowly, gently pressed into him. There was little resistance from Goten’s body, still loose from the night before, and the shuddering groan that came from Trunks’ mouth made Goten’s heart sing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God you feel so good,” Trunks marveled lowly, hands running up and down his sides, his hips, all over him as he slowly rocked in and out, lazy and gentle. Lips pressed to the back of Goten’s shoulder and Trunks sighed, “Take me so well.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten mewled at the praise and rocked back to meet each gentle thrust, arching his back and trying to be as good for Trunks as he could, wanting to leave an impression he’d never forget. He hid none of his noises, none of his desire, eventually letting his head fall back and demanding, “More, Trunks, harder.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks responded with a hum, trailing kisses down his shoulder and maintaining the languid pace. “Not yet. Wanna take my time with you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten whined but didn’t protest further, dropping his forehead against the wall as Trunks hit his sweet spot with every slow, measured stroke. “You’re so </span>
  <em>
    <span>deep</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Teeth sunk into his skin, the jolt of pain only increasing his pleasure. “You’re so </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten made a sound he’d never heard from his own lips before, something between a moan and a sob, and it came all too naturally to just give in and let Trunks have his way with him. It was when he’d finally made peace with the slow pace that Trunks pulled out of him, turning him around and picking him up and slamming him to the wall before pushing back in and taking his breath away. Goten clung to him and wrapped his legs around Trunks’ waist, no man before having ever been strong enough to hold him like this, and then Trunks was pounding into him harder and faster and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>perfect</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Trunks kissed him hungrily and deeply and Goten felt like he’d died and gone to the best parts of Otherworld, wishing he could bottle how he felt and keep it around for after Trunks inevitably left him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knew when Trunks was close, able to tell by the tightening grip on his hips and the way that his breaths came in short bursts against his throat in between harsh nips and kisses, marking him for later. They’d both left each other littered with bruises that wouldn’t be easy to hide but neither cared, the passion behind the marks too intoxicating to resist. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks,” Goten whispered, legs trembling around Trunks’ waist and face flushing with heat as he felt his release edging closer. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks raised his head and pressed their foreheads together, his thrusts growing wilder and less refined. “I know you’re close, I can feel it.” When Goten only whimpered in reply, Trunks kissed him and then softly demanded, “Let go, beautiful. Come for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten obeyed with a cry so loud it prompted Trunks to smile and quickly cover his mouth with his hand. Just like the night before, it felt like it went on and on and </span>
  <em>
    <span>on</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Goten didn’t understand how sex could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> good, this overwhelming. Nothing before with anyone else had ever felt like this, and it occurred to him as Trunks sunk his teeth into Goten’s shoulder and spilled deep inside of him with a deep muffled groan, this was going to ruin him completely. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But it was a ruining that he recklessly welcomed, clinging tightly to Trunks as they slowly came down together. Trunks was careful as he set Goten back down on his feet, sliding out of him and holding him close as the water continued to rush over them. They kissed gently, neither in a hurry to part ways, and Goten took comfort in knowing that he was at least having </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind of effect on Trunks. He doubted it was anywhere near equal to that of Trunks on himself, but he would take what he could get. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And then, as Trunks smiled at him softly and reached for the soap to wash him one more time, he gave Goten a soft kiss and murmured, “You’re trouble, Son Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten grinned back, fairly sure that it was the opposite that was true. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How much longer do you think you’ll stay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks finished pulling his jacket over his shoulders and glanced back to the younger man as he sat on the edge of the bed they’d slept in the night before, redressed and hair still damp from their shower. “Not sure yet. Why?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shot him a grin and shrugged innocently. “Oh, no reason. Just curious.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned back, giving a small shake of his head. “I was thinking a week at first, but the week’s almost up and… not sure I’m ready yet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten nodded, getting to his feet and putting his hands in his pockets as he slowly approached the older man. “You should stay a little longer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You think so?” Trunks asked, a knowing little grin on his face. “Why’s that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Everyone’s super happy to have you here,” Goten pointed out, stepping close so that only a breath separated them. “It’s always exciting when you’re around.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Trunks hummed, eyeing the younger man with amusement. “You staying for breakfast?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shook his head. “I have to work today. Gotta get back to my place and get ready.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. What do you do?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I train kids at a dojo,” Goten replied. “It’s not challenging at all physically, obviously, but I love it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled, and it was more than genuine. “Huh. That’s cool.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm. So,” Goten moved closer, glancing down and curling a finger around a belt loop on Trunks’ pants. “if you wanna stick around a little longer… I’m free most nights.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks raised an eyebrow, still grinning. “I don’t know where you live. And you haven’t given me your number.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just find my ki,” he purred, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Trunks’ cheek. “My door’s always open.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before he could slip away, Trunks seized him by the back of his neck and pressed their lips together in a kiss that made Goten’s head spin. He would have melted under him right there and persuaded Trunks to go one more round if he didn’t truly need to get moving, so when they broke apart Goten controlled himself and didn’t kiss him again the way that he wanted to. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes fell to a bruise that his mouth had left on the base of Goten’s throat, pressing his thumb to it and chuckling, “Might wanna cover this up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno,” Goten grinned, taking a step back and leaving Trunks’ hand to fall. “I kinda like it.” Then he winked and turned around, heading for the balcony. Once he reached it and opened the doors, he glanced back at Trunks over his shoulder and was pleased to find him watching him leave. “See you around, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smirked and raised his hand to give a salute goodbye, and with that Goten turned and took off into the sky with a smile on his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was going to end miserably, he was well aware, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> it sure felt good right now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Over breakfast, the younger Trunks thought that he caught a whiff of Goten’s distinct scent on his future counterpart as he reached across the table for a bottle of maple syrup, but dismissed the idea as quickly as it came. He also thought that he must be imagining the slight edge to his future self’s eyes whenever he glanced at him, since he didn’t remember doing anything to piss him off since he’d arrived nearly a week ago. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Either way, he was more than ready for Future Trunks to leave and go back home. One Trunks was enough for any timeline. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>— </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Three days passed in a haze of work and enough fantasizing to make Goten feel like a teenager again. He couldn’t get Trunks out of his head - for once not </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks, but rather the future one - and it was getting almost embarrassing how often he was driven to touch himself at the memories they’d made together. He was also possibly losing his mind, considering that when not one but two of his lady friends gave him a call to invite him over for a casual hookup, he turned them down and claimed that he was busy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> busy. He just didn’t want to be preoccupied on the off chance that Future Trunks might pay him another visit before he returned to the future, though he was losing hope with each day that passed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that was why he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock at his apartment door one night after work, lounging on his couch after having just stuffed his face with takeout. He jolted up and, when ki sensing his visitor failed him, a rush of excitement propelled him to the door. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It must be him</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought eagerly as he threw the door open, and when his suspicions were confirmed he couldn’t help but smile brightly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks,” he chirped, warmth filling his chest when Trunks smiled back. “Hey.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi,” Trunks replied, looking rather cozy in a loose dark blue sweater and black jeans, long hair tossed up in a bun just the right side of messy. “You busy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope,” Goten grinned, stepping aside and opening the door further. “Come on in.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The second that Trunks was inside and the door was closed, Goten wasted no time in invading his space and kissing him hungrily. He felt Trunks smile into the kiss, returning it for a moment or two before gently pushing him away and chuckling, “Eager, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Goten grinned, moving in for another kiss but finding himself halted by a gentle hand to his chest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t come here just for that,” Trunks said softly, and Goten couldn’t help his flicker of surprise. “I wanted to talk to you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s expression turned serious. “About what? Is something wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no,” Trunks sighed, seemingly frustrated with himself. “Nothing like that. I just,” he paused and met Goten’s slightly worried gaze, “I wanted to see you. Hang out, get to know you better.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something warm squeezed at Goten’s heart, if only for an instant. “Oh.” He blinked. “Really?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Trunks smiled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You sure you wouldn’t rather… spend time with your dad, while you can? Or Gohan?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve seen them both plenty,” Trunks shrugged. “I want to see you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten swallowed a sudden lump in his throat, wondering what the hell was wrong with him to respond to those words like that but recovering quickly and nodding. “Okay. Cool. Want a beer?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. Go on and have a seat on my crappy couch,” Goten gestured to the weathered old thing as he began walking towards the kitchen, “and I’ll get us drinks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Goten rounded the corner a few moments later, two cold bottles of beer in his hands, he found Trunks sitting on the couch and staring off into space distantly. He quickly snapped back to normal once he spotted Goten, however, smiling and taking the offered beer with a quiet thanks as Goten sat next to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Goten said after they each took a swig in silence, “what did you wanna talk about?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I just… wanted to make him happy,” Trunks sighed, his eyes unfocused and a touch watery as he cradled his third beer and laid his head back against the couch. Goten watched him closely, hooked on every word that left his mouth. “He was so strong and smart and… </span>
  <em>
    <span>sad</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He’d been through more than any one person should but he never gave up and he didn’t let it change who he was. He was still so gentle and sweet and…” Trunks swallowed and shook his head. “I wanted to make it better. But it was silly of me. I was just a kid and he would have never looked at me like I wanted him to, not even once I grew up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not silly,” Goten told him, tone soft and sincere. “He was also the only other Saiyan left, besides you. It’s probably only natural that you’d fall for him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks sniffed, wiping his hand under his nose briefly. “Still. He called me ‘little brother’ all the time,” he chuckled. “I was just kidding myself thinking I could be anything more to him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten frowned, wishing he couldn’t relate to those words as much as he could. “I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a deep breath and let it out shakily. “Don’t be.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it hard, seeing my Gohan here?” Goten asked. “Married with a kid and everything?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a drink, shrugging lightly. “Sort of, but sort of not. He’s so different from my Gohan. And he’s so happy… I can’t begrudge him that. I’m happy for him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He wouldn’t have Videl or Pan if not for you, you know,” Goten pointed out. “He owes you a lot. We all do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks turned his eyes on Goten then, a small smile playing on his lips as he considered those words. “You wanna know something funny?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shoot.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never admitted this out loud, but… I’m insanely jealous of my other self.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten raised a brow. “Yeah? I mean, I guess that’s not too surprising. He’s grown up in mostly peacetime and he’s super rich, has both parents…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And he has you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten blinked in surprise, but Trunks only smiled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“When I grew up,” Trunks began, “I never had any friends my own age. No friends at all, really, aside from Gohan. I would have given my left arm to have what Other Me had.” He paused. “Has.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s heart did something funny in his chest, and he took another drink in a vain attempt to hide the growing blush on his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The idea of him taking you for granted,” Trunks shook his head, jaw clenching, “and making you cry… I could fucking kill him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s brows shot up at the unexpected vehemence of those words. “But you barely know me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know you well enough,” Trunks replied. “I met you when you were both little, and I saw the way you looked at him then. Like he hung the entire fucking moon. And he strutted around like a cocky little…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten felt a strange conflicting urge to both agree with Trunks and defend </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks, eventually ending up just staying silent and watching in continued surprise as Trunks took a distinctly angry swig of his beer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He should be better than that. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> should be better than that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He… you can’t force feelings you don’t have,” Goten muttered, dropping his eyes. “That’s what he told me. And I mean, it’s true. I know it is.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ angry expression softened into a curious one. “What happened between the two of you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten sighed, unwanted and very much hated memories floating to the surface in an instant. He couldn’t refuse to answer the question, not when Trunks had been so open with him. “When I was 16 and he was 17, we got our hands on a bottle of tequila and got wasted. We were acting like idiots and screwing around, trying to do drunk sparring, and you can imagine how well that went. We ended up on the floor and he was on top of me and I was so drunk and stupid and… I kissed him.” He licked his lips and paused before forcing out the rest of the story. “He didn’t push me away. Kissed me back, actually, and we made out for awhile. He let me give him a handjob, and then he passed out right afterwards. Woke up the next morning horrified.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ features grew pained, watching Goten struggle to tell the tale. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I told him that I’d enjoyed it. That I liked him and always had. He told me it could never happen again and that I was like a brother to him, that he would never see me as anything but a brother.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What did you do?” Trunks asked quietly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Broke his nose and didn’t talk to him for a month,” Goten muttered. “But eventually he came around and apologized, and so did I. He told me that he couldn’t force himself to feel things he didn’t, so the only way to move forward was to forget what had happened and move on. So that’s what we did.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So… he took advantage of you and let you get him off,” Trunks surmised, “and then made you feel guilty for what happened, like it was your fault.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shook his head. “Nah, more like I took advantage of </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Even that young, I knew better. I just wanted him so bad. Learned my lesson though.” He paused and let his eyes drift to Trunks pointedly, his lips quirking up. “Or at least I thought I had.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s an idiot.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shrugged. “He’s just… painfully straight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m</span>
  </em>
  <span> not straight,” Trunks pointed out, “so neither is he, whether he accepts it or not.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten sighed and shrugged, leaning back and stretching so that his socked feet brushed Trunks’ thigh. “I dunno. I’m pretty sure if he felt anything for me something would have happened by now. Besides, he’s engaged to a beautiful woman now. He’s obviously moved way on. I should too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Moving on is always easier said than done. Least for most of us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten snorted. “Yeah. If only I was like my dad. Shit just rolls off his back like it’s nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shot him an amused look. “That’s one area you’re probably better off not taking after your dad in.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” Goten sighed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. “Would be nice to wake up one day and just… be over it.” He felt Trunks’ hand come down to rest on his ankle, and he appreciated the comforting touch. “Like… death? No biggie, new adventure! End of the world? Meh, bring it on! New evil bad guy stronger than all of us combined? Fun new challenge!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned. “Listen, I respect your dad a lot, but… yeah, I don’t get it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I love him but he’s fuckin’ nuts,” Goten sighed, sitting up and leaning forward to set his now-empty bottle on his small coffee table. “Want another beer?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten nodded, then casually crawled over to Trunks’ end of the couch and climbed on his lap like it was nothing, like he had every right to do so. He pried the nearly empty beer from Trunks’ hand and set it aside, then offered the older man a smile as he ran his hands up his shoulders. “Hey.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled back, hands easily finding Goten’s hips. “Hey, beautiful.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bet you say that to all the boys,” Goten rolled his eyes, even as his heart fluttered in his chest. “And all the girls.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head, hands sliding further back and over his ass, taking two generous handfuls and kneading the firm muscles. “Not really, no. But you’ll just have to take my word for it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten hummed, thumbing a stray piece of lilac hair and then tucking it behind his ear. “Maybe you’re just a sweet talker, trying to get in my pants while you still can.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Last time I checked,” Trunks quirked a brow, “you seduced </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did I?” Goten grinned, leaning in and pressing a kiss to the corner of Trunks’ jaw. “Huh…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks tangled his fingers in Goten’s hair, sighing as Goten kissed a hot trail to his ear. “I think you’re the sweet talker here. Seducing a man from another time, making me wanna stay longer than I should…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The admission made Goten’s heart skip. He pulled back and looked up at Trunks in surprise, his voice shakier than he expected as he asked, “Really?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, eyes falling to Goten’s lips and then back to his eyes. “But I’m leaving tomorrow. I need to get back to my own world.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Even though Goten had been expecting those words to come sooner than later, they still caused an unpleasant pang deep in his chest. He hid it as best as he could, however, and nodded before reaching down and swiftly pulling off his own shirt, tossing it to the floor behind him. “Then we ought to make the most of tonight, shouldn’t we?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks let Goten pull off his sweater next, pulling him close after and groaning at the skin to skin contact as their lips collided. The kiss was even better than Goten remembered, his memories doing the electricity between them no justice. Nothing could compare to the real thing, and he was determined to soak up as much of it as he could tonight, before he had to tell Trunks goodbye. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And when Trunks stood up and carried Goten to the bedroom, laying him down on his back and pulling the rest of his clothes from his body, he took a moment to gaze down upon him and told him in a tone so low and so genuine that it nearly made tears spring to Goten’s eyes, “You really are beautiful, Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten reached up and pulled him down for a kiss before he could say something he’d inevitably regret later. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The next day, Goten joined the rest of the gang as they said farewell to their time traveling savior. When Future Trunks made his way to Goten during his individual goodbyes, the two men shared a small smile and a nod. Goten threw in a wink and a two-fingered salute, and Future Trunks grinned, “Stay outta trouble, kid.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten rolled his eyes, but there was no hiding his own mirroring grin. “Yeah, you too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And as Future Trunks moved on to the others, hugging his mother goodbye, Goten watched and couldn’t help but smirk a little as he remembered Trunks’ </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> goodbye, the one he’d given him earlier that morning. It was the best blow job he’d ever received, and he’d never forget the way that Trunks looked on his knees, cheeks flushed and eyes heavy lidded, his pretty face streaked with Goten’s come. He almost groaned aloud just thinking about it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And after Future Trunks took off, the time capsule disappearing into the fabric of space and time, the younger Trunks huffed and smacked a hand to Goten’s shoulder. “Finally. I was getting sick of that guy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten snorted. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> that guy, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Exactly. And one of us is enough,” Trunks declared. “So, wanna spar?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” Goten replied, turning to follow Trunks towards their preferred training grounds. But after a few steps he turned his head and looked back towards that spot in the sky, childishly wishing that Future Trunks would rematerialize and announce that he was coming back to stay, or maybe that he wanted to take a certain someone back to his world with him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When neither fantasy became reality, Goten let out a breath and turned away, cursing the hollow feeling in his chest. He knew that this would happen - he was too soft, too emotional, too </span>
  <em>
    <span>human</span>
  </em>
  <span> for any other possibility - but he still didn’t regret a damn thing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wondered when, or if, he’d ever see Future Trunks again. He wondered what it meant when the mere thought of never getting to see him again made him feel like he was being ripped apart from the inside out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Goten’s birthday leads to an unexpected visit and even more complicated feelings.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Big thanks to cheyotic for giving me the idea that this chapter is built around, ily 🙏🏻 And thank you to everyone who’s commented and kudos’d and/or is just lurking, thank you guys so much! I’m having a lot of fun writing this and I hope you guys keep enjoying reading it 😍</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Four months passed by and Future Trunks’ visit faded into Goten’s memories but the marks it left upon him remained as present as ever. Even as the seasons changed and snow began to coat the grass, Goten’s mind never drifted too far from his time traveling friend. How could it not, after everything that had happened? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wondered what Trunks was doing and if he was all right, if his world was still enjoying peace or if some new threat had emerged. He wondered who was keeping his bed warm and if Trunks thought about him still, or if someone else was on his mind. He assumed as much - after all, they’d only slept together a few times and Trunks was utterly beautiful, surely having his pick of men and women to distract himself with. He was almost positive that he didn’t plague Trunks’ mind in the way that Trunks plagued Goten’s, because that was just how it had always been and he saw no reason for this to be any different. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he wasn’t mildly obsessing over the older man, he was working and helping </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks plan his upcoming nuptials, playing the role of best man flawlessly and doing it so well he almost convinced himself that he really was okay with his best friend getting married. It was still some months away, scheduled for the following May, and he secretly - and selfishly - hoped that something would happen before then and lead to the whole thing being called off. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And he felt like shit for it because Trunks really did seem genuinely happy and his fiancée was a lovely woman who had never been anything but kind and supportive. Goten didn’t like feeling the way that he did, but he had yet to find a way to do a damn thing about it besides simply smiling through the pain. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And in a disturbing new development, he couldn’t seem to cover up his misery with casual sex like he always had in the past. His interest in others was next to nonexistent, and even when he tried to get drunk and soldier through a hookup that way, it simply didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>work</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It felt like trying to eat a meal without any flavor, and he wondered what he’d ever done to deserve such a horrible ailment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Regardless, his little problem was what led to him asking for his most low-key birthday party since he’d become an adult, and while Trunks was confused he obliged anyway. He turned 26 over dinner and drinks out with his closest family and friends, and despite the tame nature of the celebration he found himself smiling and having more fun than he’d had in ages. Even his dad showed up - late as always, but he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span> and for a little while, Goten felt like maybe everything was going to turn out okay after all. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He went home to his apartment that night carrying a bag containing several servings of chocolate cake from the restaurant, the air cold and week-old snow crunching under his boots as he made his way to his door and began fumbling with his keys. He’d gotten the key into the lock and was turning it when two warm hands suddenly descended over his eyes, and before he could panic a low, amused voice in his ear teased, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Guess who.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s heart leapt into his throat, the carryout bag in his hand falling to the ground. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It couldn’t be, there was no way. Right? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The hands fell away and Goten whipped around, his eyes wide and jaw dropping when his gaze fell upon none other than Future Trunks himself, standing there grinning and looking even better than Goten had remembered. His hair was half up in a loose bun, the rest down and a touch  longer than Goten remembered, and he was dressed well for the weather in a gray sweater and black jacket, jeans and boots completing the look, but Goten barely noticed - he couldn’t take his eyes off of Trunks’ smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m… I’m not dreaming, am I?” Goten asked dumbly, his eyes still wide and a dopey smile spreading across his lips. “You’re really here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I sure hope so,” Trunks chuckled, a faint blush touching his cheeks, and Goten couldn’t help it - he threw himself into Trunks’ arms and clung to him like an overgrown child, arms and legs and all. Trunks caught him with a laugh, and then Goten kissed him in an exhilarated rush of happiness and Trunks kissed him back with equal fervor. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then, as suddenly as he’d began, Goten jerked his head back and asked with suddenly worried eyes, “Wait - is something wrong? Why are you here? Did something happen or -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head, smiling at him like he found Goten </span>
  <em>
    <span>particularly</span>
  </em>
  <span> adorable. “Nothing’s wrong. I came to see you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten blinked owlishly. “Me? … Just me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, then leaned closer and whispered against Goten’s lips, “Happy birthday, beautiful.” Then Trunks kissed him, and Goten melted into a giant gooey puddle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Later on Goten would realize </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the moment he fell head over heels for Future Trunks, but as it was happening he was far too excited and blissed out to be aware of anything beyond the press of Trunks’ lips and the unbelievable idea of him traveling across timelines </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see Goten on his birthday. It was almost unfathomable, and a stubborn little part of Goten’s brain thought that Trunks just had to be lying. There had to be something else, some other reason for his visit - he couldn’t have come </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nonetheless, Goten was all too happy to let Trunks finish unlocking his front door and push them inside, Goten squeaking </span>
  <em>
    <span>the cake, get the cake! </span>
  </em>
  <span>in true Son fashion when it was nearly forgotten in the hallway. Trunks chuckled and set him down, grabbing the bag and then kicking the door shut before Goten launched himself at Trunks again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In between rushed, hungry kisses, Goten muttered, “D’you want a drink? Or something to - </span>
  <em>
    <span>ah</span>
  </em>
  <span> - something to eat?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, you,” Trunks purred before picking Goten up and carrying him to the bedroom, remembering the apartment’s layout like it was only yesterday that they’d spent the night together there. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Actually…</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After Trunks plopped Goten down on his bed and started stripping, Goten looked up at him in a daze and asked, “How long has it been? For you? Since your last visit, I mean.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“About as long as it’s been for you,” Trunks replied, jacket and sweater gone as his fingers worked on his belt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten licked his lips as he watched, eyes running over that broad chest and the miles of tanned skin that he couldn’t wait to get his hands and mouth all over, but he couldn’t help but keep spouting questions. “How did you even know when my birthday is?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned as he peeled his jeans and boxers down in one motion, clearly enjoying the way that Goten’s face reddened and his eyes dropped </span>
  <em>
    <span>lower</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I have my ways.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Oh, cool,” Goten gulped, and then Trunks’ hands were all over him, divesting him of his clothes so quickly it made Goten’s head spin. Before he knew it he was naked and being pushed down on his back, watching Trunks climb over him and look down at him like he really did want to simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>devour</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Had anyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> looked at him like that before?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks leaned in slowly, running a hand through Goten’s hair and noting, “Your hair’s longer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Goten breathed, entire body trembling in anticipation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I like it,” Trunks murmured before capturing his lips, and Goten made a mental note to cancel the haircut he’d planned on getting later in the week. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was so incredibly easy to get lost in the kiss, in the taste of Trunks’ mouth, in the fantasy that the man himself embodied so well, and all possible consequences and the inevitable crash after he’d leave just ceased to matter. Goten held him close, returning each kiss with a palpable desperation, and the very best part was how needy Trunks felt, too. He ravaged Goten’s mouth until he had to break for air and then he was kissing down Goten’s neck, leaving a trail of deep purple bruises in his wake, and all Goten could do was ask for </span>
  <em>
    <span>more, more, more</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks gave him more, his lips and teeth and tongue working together down Goten’s body and leaving no inch of skin untouched, from his nipples to his abs and the curves of his hips, every muscle and line of his body left quaking by the time Trunks was done with it. He was painfully hard but Trunks didn’t touch him there, not even so much as an accidental graze, and Goten whined pitifully when Trunks began trailing kisses up his inner thigh. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled against his skin, giving him a playful nip that made Goten jump. “Impatient tonight, huh.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well yeah,” Goten groaned unthinkingly. “It’s been four months since I got laid, what do you expect?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t expect Trunks to fall still and look up at him in surprise. “You haven’t… since we…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Blushing brightly and kinda wishing he hadn’t let that spill, Goten bit his lip and nodded. Trunks’ slightly innocent look of surprise then shifted to something far hungrier and darker, and with a yelp Goten found himself flipped over and yanked up by his hips. He’d barely gotten his bearings when he felt hands on his ass, groping hard and then </span>
  <em>
    <span>spreading</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and before he could so much as breathe there was a wet heat at his entrance and his entire body jolted as he realized what Trunks was doing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh fuck,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Goten gasped, looking over his shoulder and almost losing it at the sight of Trunks with his face buried in his ass, eyes closed at first but then opening to meet Goten’s gaze head on. Goten moaned and looked away, dropping his head down and gripping the sheets in tight fists and just hanging on while his body became a live wire. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For a man as ethereally beautiful and quietly dignified as the future version of Trunks, Goten realized he sure knew how to be absolutely filthy and ravenous too. Every stroke of his tongue was measured but hungry, the hard press of his fingertips leaving bruises dotting along his cheeks, and Trunks moaned and panted against him like he couldn’t get enough. Goten was halfway gone by the time Trunks pulled away to slide two fingers inside of him, Goten’s body happily accepting the intrusion by that point, and Goten was face-down and gasping into the sheets when Trunks curled his fingers and bit down into the upper part of his left cheek simultaneously. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten </span>
  <em>
    <span>might</span>
  </em>
  <span> have screamed, but he wasn’t sure because he was coming too hard to notice. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, fuck,” he heard Trunks chuckle as he tried to catch his breath, now collapsed against the mattress. “Guess you really </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> wound up tight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No shit,” Goten grumbled, sighing when Trunks placed a kiss to the small of his back. Then he was gone, and Goten whined at the loss of his warmth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Trunks didn’t go far, only crawling across the bed and reaching into Goten’s bedside drawer to find what he needed. Goten watched as he rummaged around and then paused, pulling out a suspiciously pastel purple vibrator and looking at it appraisingly before giving Goten a </span>
  <em>
    <span>look</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“A lavender vibrator? Really?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t judge me, future boy,” Goten replied, flipping him off and making Trunks laugh before tossing it back into the drawer. “Besides, that thing has kept me company for a long time so be nice to it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At last finding the bottle of lube he was looking for, Trunks tossed it on the bed next to Goten’s thigh and smirked, “You’re adorable, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do, actually,” Goten nodded, feeling the bed shift as Trunks moved behind him once more and popped the cap of the lube. “It’s my secret weapon. Nobody can resist these big brown puppy dog eyes.” He paused. “Almost.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Trunks murmured back as he hooked an arm under Goten’s chest and hauled him up to his knees, yanking him back against his chest, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> sure can’t.” Then he was slowly pressing inside of Goten, and Goten shuddered as his body greedily took the older man in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One arm still wrapped around his torso and the other hand gripping Goten’s thigh, Trunks sighed contentedly as he fell still and let them both adjust. He kissed at Goten’s neck and then his ear, nipping at the lobe before confessing, “I’ve missed you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten turned his head to look in Trunks’ eyes, finding nothing but sincerity there. He gave a watery smile back, his eyes betraying just how much he truly meant his next words. “Me too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks let go of Goten’s thigh to touch his face, thumbing his cheekbone and then his lower lip as he whispered, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>God</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’re so pretty it hurts.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten didn’t understand why those words made his heart soar as much as ache. Either way Trunks kissed him before he could say a word back, and then he began moving slowly in and out of him, and all Goten knew was bliss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His head lolling back on Trunks’ shoulder, he held on to the arm locked around his middle and relished Trunks being inside of him again, reveling in the stretch and the pleasure and the seemingly effortless way that Trunks slipped into a softly dominant role over him. It was everything he’d ever wanted and somehow better than anything he’d ever imagined, even better than he remembered their first times being those four months before. How could it just keep getting better and better like that? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re so hot, ‘Ten,” Trunks groaned in his ear as his thrusts began to increase in power, but Goten flinched involuntarily at the nickname. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t call me that,” he murmured, and Trunks’ rhythm faltered for a moment. “He calls me Ten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then there was an unexpected </span>
  <em>
    <span>growl</span>
  </em>
  <span> against his neck, guttural and enough to set Goten’s blood on fire, a sound like nothing he’d heard from either Trunks before. Trunks’ hips started thrusting harder, and Goten gasped as sharp teeth sunk into the curve of his neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then how about,” Trunks’ still-low voice purred in his ear after he licked a hot trail there, “I just call you </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten let out a mix of a sob and a moan, his heart ready to explode in his chest. He reached back and sunk his fingers into Trunks’ hair, holding on with everything he had, his tone as broken as it was heated as he whispered back, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please, Trunks</span>
  </em>
  <span>…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mine,” Trunks growled into his ear, taking him harder, faster, claiming him. “Say it, Goten, say you’re mine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I wish I could be, more than anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I’m yours, Trunks,” Goten replied breathlessly. A large, warm hand wrapped around his cock and he cried out, “Yours, </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck, God</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks, fuck me…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right, beautiful,” Trunks breathed, licking over the bite mark he’d left on Goten’s neck. “All mine, all for me, Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Trunks turned his head and kissed him, his tongue all but fucking into Goten’s mouth and mirroring what his cock was doing, and it was all too much, </span>
  <em>
    <span>too much</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and before he could say a word Goten was coming again, even harder than before. His vision blurred at the edges and everything turned white-hot, the world fading to nothing and leaving only the two of them. He felt more than heard Trunks’ own chest-deep moan and the warmth of his release inside of him, and after that there was only peace and Trunks’ arms and the distinct feeling of being </span>
  <em>
    <span>home</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He drifted in the blissful haze until his brain had fully returned to him, sweet kisses on the back of his shoulder slowly rousing him back to reality. Goten smiled and shifted against the warm, perfect body behind him, eyes opening to find Trunks’ own face awash in the same contented glow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>How was this even real?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How long are you staying?” Goten asked quietly, not wanting to shatter the mood but not able to </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> ask, either. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not sure,” Trunks replied, fingers absently tracing over the bite mark on Goten’s neck. It stung a little, but Goten liked it. “How long would you let me stay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Forever,” Goten blurted with a sweet smile, and he only realized that he’d said the wrong thing when Trunks’ own smile grew pained, a slight furrow forming between his brows. “I mean - I know you can’t,” Goten quickly amended, trying to salvage the conversation, “but I wouldn’t mind - you can stay as long as you want, is what I mean.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Smooth, Goten</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled, to Goten’s relief, and dropped a kiss to his shoulder. “I understand. Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten reached up to touch Trunks’ face, wondering how the dynamic between them had shifted so much since their first encounter. Back then he had been the aggressor, the one with nothing to lose who’d gambled on their obvious shared loneliness being enough to lure Trunks into his bed for a night, and now… </span>
  <em>
    <span>now</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks was making trips to Goten’s world just for him, marking up his body with bites and bruises, calling him </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, making him forget how to even speak properly in his presence let alone think clearly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Deep down Goten knew the answer, but he planned on never </span>
  <em>
    <span>ever</span>
  </em>
  <span> acknowledging it. It was better that way, affording him at least some level of self-protection in the face of inevitable heartbreak. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath and pushing those thoughts as far down as he mentally could, Goten put a smile on his face and asked, “Want some cake?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, wait,” Goten said around a mouthful of utterly heavenly chocolate goodness, naked save for the sheet tossed over his waist, “isn’t the fuel for your time machine like… super hard to make? How are you able to make all these trips?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shrugged, also naked under the same sheet, swallowing his own bite of cake before replying, “It used to be like that, yeah, but my mother - the one you know - created a power core for the machine that can power it for several lifetimes. Fuel isn’t a problem anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Goten hummed. “That’s good, then. How are things in your time?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shrugged again, eyes on his plate as he speared another bite with his fork. “Things are fine. Still peaceful, thank goodness.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten nodded. “Can I ask another question?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks glanced at him and grinned. “Yeah, but only because you’re so cute.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten blushed, feeling like a damn kid who instantly melted at the slightest bit of flirtation from their crush. “Uh huh. So - you don’t have to answer this if it’s an uncomfortable subject, but I’m just curious - whatever happened with you and Mai?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ cheerful expression tempered a little bit at the question but only just so. “We’re still friends. Really good friends. We tried being in a relationship for awhile but it didn’t really work - I think we were just kind of… trauma-bonded, and not actually compatible like that. It wasn’t bad or dramatic when we broke up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good,” Goten mused. “Hey, out of curiosity - were you aware of her actually being way older than she looked?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“At the time, no,” Trunks chuckled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I figured because,” Goten laughed as he recalled those earlier days, “the Mai here and our Trunks started having this little flirting thing going on and let me tell you - when Bulma found out that Mai was actually a grown woman older than </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> in a little girl’s body, she </span>
  <em>
    <span>flipped</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Vegeta, too - it was ugly.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes widened. “Oh. Shit. Yeah, that’s…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fucked up, I know,” Goten nodded, shoveling more cake into his face. “I mean, nothing more than like hand holding and cheek kisses happened between them, but still. And poor Trunks, he was a lot more hurt by it than he let on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks frowned. “What ended up happening?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, Bulma and Vegeta kept Mai and Pilaf and the dog guy locked up at Capsule Corp while me and Gohan gathered all the dragon balls. Then Bulma wished them back to their proper ages and told him to get lost and that they’d deal with Vegeta if they ever showed their faces in this corner of the world ever again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grimaced. “Wow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. Course, I was pretty happy about it at the time ‘cause I didn’t have to compete for Trunks’ attention anymore.” And he was hardly any different now, secretly wishing for Trunks’ upcoming wedding to be derailed so Goten could have him to himself again. He looked away and sighed, “I’m an asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re the furthest thing from that,” Trunks assured him. “If there’s an asshole in the equation it sure as hell isn’t you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten looked at him curiously. “Shouldn’t you be biased in his favor? Since you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled and leaned back against the headboard, setting the now-empty plate aside. “I think it’s more a case of being your own worst critic. And even though we’re physically the same, I’m starting to think that me and </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> are different in even more ways than I thought.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The two of you would make an amazing case study for the whole nature versus nurture thing,” Goten noted, finishing off his own cake slice and setting his plate on his nightstand. “Bet my brother would be all over that if he could.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Have you read any of the papers he’s published?” Trunks asked, holding out his arm to welcome Goten as he snuggled up next to him again. “He’s brilliant.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, no,” Goten wrinkled his nose. “I’d rather watch paint dry. It’s bad enough that my mom drags me to his conferences all the time. Takes everything I have not to throw tomatoes at him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks snorted. “Okay, maybe you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> a little bit of an asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Told you,” Goten grinned, looking up and happily letting his eyes close as Trunks pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Mm. Chocolatey.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks hummed and kissed him again, gently sliding his tongue into Goten’s mouth and deepening the kiss. “You taste even better than chocolate.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“See,” Goten grinned against his lips, “now I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’re lying.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks drew away and raised a brow, eyes mischievous. “Goten, I’ve tasted </span>
  <em>
    <span>every</span>
  </em>
  <span> part of you now. I think I know what I’m talking about.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s face reddened and he tried not to squirm, wondering how the hell this man did this to him so effortlessly. When he proved himself speechless, Trunks simply grinned as if he were quite pleased with himself and kissed him again, hands starting to wander as he signaled quite clearly that he was ready for another round. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten melted under him again, deciding that he could sleep when he was dead.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The following morning, Goten made Trunks a hearty breakfast and felt rather pleased with himself when Trunks wolfed it all down enthusiastically. Goten had inherited his mother’s natural talent for cooking as well as her love of making others happy with her yummy creations, and there was just something particularly satisfying about watching Trunks’ future self scarf down a home cooked meal and offer up heaps of praise for it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t hurt that Trunks also insisted on doing the dishes for Goten, but he only got halfway through them before Goten slid up behind him and started nibbling at his neck and sliding his hands up his shirt. Trunks half-heartedly tried to bat him away before giving in with a groan, turning around and kissing him hard, and from there it was only a matter of minutes before they ended up on the couch, Goten riding Trunks into the cushions like his life depended on it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two orgasms and a lazy but efficient cleanup later, Goten was lounging happily against Trunks on the couch and showing him pictures from his phone’s camera roll, giving him a deeper look into his life on this side of the timelines. Trunks played absently with Goten’s hair as he flipped through the photos, telling the stories that came with the more interesting ones. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This one is top secret,” Goten grinned when he got to one of Vegeta sitting stiffly on his living room floor, arms crossed angrily, hair full of bows and rhinestone clips and face decorated with rather garish makeup, flanked by a very happy Pan and Bulla. “If he knew this picture existed I’d be dead for sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy crap,” Trunks laughed. “He looks like a trolls doll.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, a trolls doll about to go on a murder spree,” Goten remarked, moving on to other pictures. “Oh, Marron took this one after a party we threw when your parents were away.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the photo, both Goten and Trunks were passed out drunk on the same couch, wrapped around each other as if they cuddled each other to sleep every night like that. Goten’s head was tucked under Trunks’ chin, Trunks’ arms wrapped around him snugly, and Goten explained, “We’ve kinda always slept like that, even when we were little. Always ended up stuck together at some point.” Trying to ignore the painful lurch to his heart, Goten quickly swiped at the screen and then laughed. “Oh, and this is when Pan and Bulla got a hold of my dad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Unlike Vegeta, Goku had taken his feminine transformation in stride and was grinning at the camera with the peace sign thrown up, wearing a pink dress and enough makeup to give a drag queen a run for their money. Trunks let out an undignified snort and then a full laugh, asking, “Have they ever gotten you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, duh,” Goten scoffed. “I was Bulla’s personal Barbie doll when she was little because Trunks would never let her dress him up.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She has a crush on you, you know,” Trunks replied casually. When Goten paused and looked up at him in surprise, Trunks shrugged and added, “It’s obvious. Every time I’ve seen her look your way it’s less subtle than if actual hearts were popping out of her eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten frowned. “I don’t think…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trust me,” Trunks insisted. “I’m pretty sure even my father knows, because I saw him shooting daggers at you at the party when she came up to you and asked if you liked her dress.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes widened. “He was? Shit, I really am oblivious.” Then he grimaced and muttered, “Ugh, she’s only 13. She shouldn’t be looking at guys my age.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shrugged again. “You’re her big brother’s hot best friend. I don’t know much about sisters but I think that’s a pretty normal crush to have.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Still, it made Goten feel a bit uneasy. Bulla had always felt like his own little sister since the day she’d been born, and he couldn’t imagine ever seeing her differently or having to deal with her seeing </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> differently. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then it suddenly struck him - minus the age gap, is that how his Trunks felt about </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Like despite their lack of the slightest blood relation, Goten would always be his brother and not possibly anything more? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>. For some reason, when he thought about it like that, it suddenly became a lot harder to resent Trunks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I hope you’re wrong,” Goten muttered as he started flipping through his pictures more forcefully, hoping to change the subject. He unintentionally succeeded when he zipped by a photo that seemed to catch Trunks’ eye. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that? Go back.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? Go back to what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Back to - just give it to me,” Trunks said, plucking the phone from Goten’s hand. A few swipes of his thumb later and he grinned, whistling low as he asked, “So who was the lucky recipient of </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He turned the phone around and Goten blushed furiously as he was faced with one of his better attempts at a naked bathroom mirror selfie. He snatched the phone back and quickly swiped past it, replying, “Listen, that pic got me laid at least three times, so fuck off.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, I wasn’t trying to tease,” Trunks grinned. “I just wanted a closer look. You looked hot in it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, well… maybe I’d send it to you if our cell towers could connect across space and time, but no dice there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks fell silent, and Goten could almost audibly hear the wheels turning in his clever little head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Huh.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Goten asked, peeking up at him and finding </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> look on his face, the same one that his Trunks and Bulma got when they were mulling over a crazy new idea in their head. He poked Trunks’ cheek. “Hello… earth to Trunks…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks simply smiled and batted his hand away. “Nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten raised a brow. “Uh huh. Wow, you’re as bad a liar as your other self.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks rolled his eyes and then gestured to Goten’s phone. “Got any more dick pics in there to show me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude, my dick is right here,” Goten pointed down at his naked self. “It’s out and everything. You can just look at the real thing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, if you’re too embarrassed -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> embarrassed -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“- I get it, especially since I’m so </span>
  <em>
    <span>intimidatingly</span>
  </em>
  <span> handsome myself -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“ - oh you fucking little -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“ - not everyone can have my confidence or my -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shut him up with a kiss, all but tackling him against the couch as they both laughed. Trunks’ arms slipped around him and it was all too easy to fall back into each other, the kiss quickly growing needy and hot, and Goten grinned with satisfaction when Trunks flipped him over on his back. Trunks grinned back and leaned in as if to kiss him again but instead assaulted Goten’s sides with his fingers, tickling the hell out of him and making Goten yelp girlishly and flail against him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t remember a time where he’d felt lighter or so effortlessly happy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In the end, Trunks stayed until Goten had to go back to work, which meant they got to spend two full days together until Trunks uncapsulated his time machine and told Goten goodbye. The days had gone by entirely too quickly, and Goten smiled through the clenching of his heart as he waved and watched Trunks disappear into the sky yet again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But he could only be so sad when he remembered that Trunks had come for him and only him, and that he’d spent the entire trip holed up with Goten in his apartment, eating his cooking and making him laugh and fucking him until he couldn’t walk a straight line. Beneath the loose gi Goten wore were a plethora of bruises and bite marks, all of which served as physical reminders of how Trunks had called him </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> and claimed him a sort of way Goten had only fantasized about before, and Goten hoped that they lingered for a long time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Getting back to business as usual was, surprisingly, easier than Goten thought it would be. Hiding his two days of bliss from the world came strangely natural and he enjoyed the secrecy of it, of having something for once that was just for him and nobody else, and he could only hope that it wouldn’t be the only visit of its kind. It was frustrating not having a way to contact Trunks and having no idea when he might or might not drop in again, but Goten supposed that just couldn’t be helped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then, only a few days after Trunks left, Goten was lying in bed late at night and checking his emails when his phone chimed with a new text. He squinted at the notification, not recognizing the number, and when he opened the message he found himself even more puzzled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If this works, I’m gonna be shocked</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten furrowed his brows and was about to fire off a </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong number, bro</span>
  </em>
  <span> text back, but then his phone chimed twice more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Testing, testing </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>You there, Goten?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes widened. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Who is this? </span>
  </em>
  <span>he replied, hoping it wasn’t one of the dojo kids screwing around with him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Holy SHIT it actually worked??</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten sighed and typed back, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dude idk who you are but I’m blocking you now</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The next text came quick. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No!! Don’t block me, just hold on </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For some reason Goten played along, sighing as he waited for whatever bad punchline awaited him. Thankfully he didn’t have to wait long, his phone quickly dinging with another incoming text - a picture this time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And when he clicked it to find none other than Future Trunks and his long-haired mother smiling goofily at him in a just-taken selfie, captioned with </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s me! My mom figured out how to make our phones connect!</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Goten just about fell out of the bed in shock. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Holy fuck!” he exclaimed, dropping his phone on his face in his excitement and barely even feeling the pain. He scrambled to pick the phone back up and just stared at the messages in wonder, hardly able to believe such sorcery was even possible. It was too good to be true, but then again, so were a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot</span>
  </em>
  <span> of things when it came to Future Trunks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Holy crap, Trunks, how??!!! This is amazing!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It sure is :) now I get to talk to you whenever I want</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled dopily at those words and sunk down deeper into the bed, his heart swelling in his chest and filling with affection for the time traveler. This was still going to end badly - oh so badly - and he still damn well knew it, but he’d long passed the point of no return. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was all in, for better or worse. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yes I know them being able to text across space and time is absolutely absurd but this is DBZ where there are alien monkey-tailed men and magical wish granting dragons and a literal king of the earth who is also a dog, so you know what, I think a bit of convenient scientific absurdity is just fine 😂</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Future Bulma has a heart to heart with her son, and later on a drunken Goten makes a phone call that definitely works out in his favor.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kinda short chapter today but ah, what are you gonna do 😂 thank you guys as always for your feedback and for being generally amazing, I love you all!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Wow,” Bulma grinned as she sat down across from her son at the breakfast table, setting down two mugs of coffee between them. “What - or should I say </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> - has you smiling so much this morning?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blushed and looked up from his phone, giving his mother an uneasy smile back and shrugging, “It’s nothing. Your hair looks nice today, by the way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Raising an eyebrow, Bulma flipped her long blue locks over her shoulder and replied, “Listen, kid, as much as I appreciate the flattery, I know when you’re only using it to change the subject.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shrugged again, setting his phone down and picking up his coffee. “Really, Mom, it’s nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Bulma hummed into her own coffee, her knowing eyes not leaving her son. “So you asking me to help you figure out how to communicate via phone with the other timeline was just for kicks and giggles, right? No particular reason?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shifted in his seat, attempting to ignore the buzzing of his phone alerting him to an incoming text. “It’s like I said - it just makes sense to be able to have a way to contact them in case of emergency, on either side.” His phone buzzed again, and Bulma’s eyes darted to it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds like they’re having lots of emergencies.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grimaced. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mom…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who is it?” Bulma asked with a grin. “Someone I know? Cute girl? Cute boy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks set down his coffee and rubbed his hands over his eyes. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma smiled sweetly. “Nope.” Then she swiped Trunks’ phone before he could stop her, and she quickly opened his texts while he began instantly flailing and protesting. “Oooh - who’s that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom,” he leaned over the table and grabbed at the phone only for Bulma to yank it away, “give it </span>
  <em>
    <span>back</span>
  </em>
  <span> -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, he’s cute… wait - is that Gohan?” she squinted at the screen. “Wait, no, that’s Goten, right? And the cute little girl next to him must be Pan. What are they doing? Having a hot dog eating contest at 9 in the morning?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, Mom, that’s exactly what they’re doing,” Trunks said as Bulma finally relented and let him snatch the phone back. “Can you please not go through my phone like that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma held up her hands in surrender, unable to keep the smile from her face. “I’d hardly call that going through your phone, honey, but what’s got you so jumpy? Are there naughty pictures I might have seen if I’d scrolled too far?” When Trunks only blushed brighter and sputtered, Bulma burst out laughing. “Oh Kami, there is!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> say that -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t have to,” she chuckled. “It’s written all over your face. It’s okay - I was young once too, you know. I’d have sent your father some good stuff had smartphones been around back then.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned and suddenly wished he’d asked Goku to teach him Instant Transmission. “Ugh, Mom can we not?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” she smiled, leaning a little closer over the table. “But hey, for the record, he’s adorable. I don’t blame you for being interested, but I hope you’re not forgetting the reality of the situation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trust me,” Trunks muttered, leaning his head on his hand and staring at the table, “I can’t.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma was quiet for a moment before gently observing, “He looks </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> much like Gohan. Is that why -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Trunks cut her off, shaking his head. “No, he’s nothing like Gohan. He’s… different.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma nodded. “Does he feel the same way as you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grit his teeth. He didn’t want to talk about this and didn't want to utter his next words but there had always been few secrets between him and his mother. “He’s in love with the Trunks from his time. But that Trunks only loves him like family.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma’s face fell. “Oh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Does that mean… oh, sweetie.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks glanced up at her and shook his head as if to brush off her concern. “It’s fine, Mom.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No it’s not. If he’s just using you as a replacement because you look and sound the same… Trunks, you’re going to get hurt.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not serious, Mom,” Trunks insisted, even though his mind immediately flashed to vivid memories of sinking his teeth into Goten’s neck and calling him </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and spending two blissful days holed up in Goten’s apartment together. “It’s just casual.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t take this the wrong way, honey, but… you’ve never really been able to do casual, have you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks didn’t reply, the truth of her words an unwelcome sting to his pride and to his heart. It was true, he’d never been able to maintain a casual relationship with anyone without it becoming something more, but he blamed having grown up in an apocalypse and bouncing from one world-ending event to the next. When every day could quite plausibly be your last, it tended to make your emotions run at a constant high and your heart cling to what tiny comforts it could find, and while Trunks wasn’t ashamed of that, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a pain in his ass. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His other self had been able to fuck his way through college and party to his heart’s content, blessed with peace and confidence and only a tiny taste of the trauma that Trunks had experienced in his darker world. He just didn’t have the same luxuries, and it showed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How long has this been going on?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks cleared his throat, roused from his thoughts. “Not long. I’ve spent maybe three and a half days with him altogether, so it’s really no big deal.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe,” Bulma smiled softly, “but I know you better than anyone, Trunks, and the way that you were smiling at your phone - very few people can get that kind of smile out of you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Trunks only frowned, Bulma stood up and walked around the table to him, reaching out and placing a comforting hand on his cheek. “Just be careful, okay, son? And I know I’ve told you this before, but if your heart is in the other timeline… I won’t stop you from going.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took her hand and held it tightly in his own, looking up at her fiercely. “Mom, you know I could never do that. I could never leave you, and Gohan left </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> in charge of protecting the earth. I can’t run away from that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks,” she told him gently but seriously, her loving blue eyes blazing with conviction, “you have given this world </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span> and more. You have carried burdens no one person ever should. I could not be more proud of you or of the man you’ve become, but I want you to be happy. Gohan would, too. And in case you suddenly forgot, there are </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> of you here now and even if you left, I still wouldn’t be alone.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks scowled but couldn’t argue the last point. His other self in this time, a Trunks who hadn’t been subjected to the horrors of Goku Black and Zamasu - very much like the Bulma before him now - was very much present and active. He and the extra Mai had even found their way to each other somehow, their relationship proving far more promising than Trunks’ brief war-torn romance with his own Mai. Bulma would still have them, but regardless Trunks didn’t care. Permanently relocating to the other timeline just wasn’t a possibility he could entertain, no matter how long he’d secretly yearned for it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going anywhere, Mom,” Trunks told her, his tone firm and resolute. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma smiled and kissed the top of his head. “So stubborn. Just like your father.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And you,” Trunks grinned, and Bulma grinned back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t I know it. You sure give me a headache, kid,” Bulma sighed with faux exhaustion as she gathered up their now-empty mugs and took them to the sink. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks glanced at his phone and picked it up, finding several new texts waiting for him. He opened them and stifled a laugh at a picture of Goten doubled over and Pan with her fist swung victoriously into the air, the image captioned with </span>
  <em>
    <span>she won :( all hail Pan the Saiyan hot dog eating contest champion</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tough break</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks replied. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I have dishonored our race</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Goten added with a miserably groaning emoji. </span>
  <em>
    <span>How can a quarter Saiyan eat more than me?! I’m losing my touch</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I believe in you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks texted back, smiling stupidly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Start training. Eventually you’ll surpass her hot dog eating limits</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yeah no thanks, I never wanna see another hot dog again. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>…. unless it’s yours</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Roughly 12 hot dog emojis followed, along with several tongue and dripping water ones, then a mixture of hot dogs and eggplants. Trunks burst out laughing, unable to contain it, and Bulma glanced at him from the sink and smiled despite the alarm bells ringing in her head. She was worried for him, as any good mother would be, and she just wanted him to finally be truly happy, whatever that meant for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wondered sadly if Trunks even knew what being truly happy felt like. The world had been so cruel to him, so unrelenting and unforgiving and beyond anything she’d ever feared, and yet he was still standing and moving forward with each new day. It took enormous strength to do that, and she knew how incredibly hard it was. She just wanted her baby boy to feel some sun on his face for once, to be happy in a way that only love could bring, and if a boy from the other timeline was the key to that then so be it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But she knew better than to expect such a neatly tied happy ending. Disaster followed them around like shadows, leaving Bulma to wonder some days what she’d ever done to earn such a curse to befall herself and her only son. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could only hope that the curse would break, and that her baby would finally find the happiness he deserved. It was the very least that the universe could do for him, in her humble opinion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pleasantly buzzed and humming an out of key tune to himself, Goten stumbled into his apartment and kicked the front door shut. He stepped out of his shoes and didn’t bother feeling around for the light switch, making a beeline for his bedroom instead and tripping several times as a result over things he’d have seen if the lights were on. Nonetheless, he got back up giggling to himself and finally made his way to the bedroom where he pulled off all his clothes minus his boxers and then flung himself into bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ahhh, bed,” he groaned happily, closing his eyes and letting his limbs stretch out and take up the whole space. One side of him wanted to pass out and sleep until noon the next day, but another part of him had other ideas. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He cracked open a single eye and peered down at the rather impressive tent in his boxers, then sighed and wondered why he had to be such a horny drunk. It was inconvenient, really, but he’d always been this way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If only my other Trunks was around</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought sadly, but then his eyes popped open with a fantastic idea. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After stumbling out of bed and fishing his cell phone out of his discarded jeans, Goten threw himself back on to the mattress and wasted no time in calling the other timeline’s Trunks, not thinking twice about the idea or about the fact that it was nearly 3 AM. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Goten?” a sleepily hoarse voice answered. “Is everything okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey future boy,” Goten replied cheerfully. “Whatcha doing?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I… sleeping,” Trunks chuckled. “It’s 3 in the morning.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. Right. Whoopsie,” Goten giggled. “Sorry, I’m kinda drunk and I just wanted to hear your voice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kinda figured the drunk part,” Trunks replied, his tone amused rather than annoyed, thankfully. “Have a good night?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Goten nodded, closing his eyes. “Went out dancing with Trunks and his lady, and a few others. It was fun.” He paused. “Danced with this really pretty girl who was </span>
  <em>
    <span>suuuper</span>
  </em>
  <span> into me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep,” Goten confirmed, popping the </span>
  <em>
    <span>p</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Didn’t bring her home, though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why not?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, she was hot and all - kinda short, nice ass, </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span> tits, but she wasn’t you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes opened and he furrowed his brows. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah, fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not only did alcohol make him horny but also honest to a fault, and that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> not what he needed right now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Goten…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>On second thought maybe it was totally okay, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>holy hell</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks’ voice was low and rough when he said his name and it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>hot</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten swallowed hard. “Yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why did you call me, Goten?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten bit his lip and let the drunken honesty flow. “‘Cause I’m really hard right now and I miss you and wish you were here with me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten heard rustling of clothes or maybe bedsheets - or both - and then Trunks hummed, “Yeah? What are you wearing?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten opened his mouth to answer but quickly snapped it shut, reaching down to yank off his boxers and fling them to the floor so that he could reply in what he hoped was a seductively low tone, “Nothing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Prove it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t overthink it, opening his forward-facing camera and lifting it high in the air above himself. He snapped a picture from his mouth down, biting his lip for effect, and sent it off before he could second guess it. He pressed the phone back to his ear and purred, “Sent.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Only a few seconds passed before he heard a faint chime on Trunks’ end of the line. Then there was another quiet moment broken only when Trunks groaned, “God, you’re so fucking hot.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The words washed over Goten like a physical touch, making his eyes flutter shut and his free hand reach down to touch himself instinctively, trying to calm the pulsing heat. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Trunks…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You need me, don’t you, beautiful?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shuddered, lazily stroking himself now and not bothering to hide a soft moan. “I need you </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You touching yourself?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Goten breathed, closing his eyes and seeing long, soft lavender hair and icy blue eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Go slow, okay? I want this to last.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes sir.” Goten meant to say it playfully but it came out low and hot instead. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled. “Sir, huh? I like that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll call you anything you want,” Goten replied. “And if you were here I’d do </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> if you asked me to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anything? That’s a big word, Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean it,” Goten insisted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmm… would you get down on your knees for me, let me tie your hands behind your back and fuck your pretty little face like that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Goten nearly gasped, dick jumping a little in his too-loose grip and mind running wild with the visual. “Hell yeah, I wanna fuckin’ choke on your cock.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Now it was Trunks’ turn to groan and curse. “You’d take it so well, I know you would. You’d look so pretty like that, feel so good and hot around me…” When Goten only moaned in response, Trunks asked, “Where would I come - down your throat or on your face?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“M-my face,” Goten replied, working himself a little faster, unable to help himself. “Want it all over me, wanna be yours.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> mine, Goten,” Trunks growled. “Say it - say you’re mine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m yours,” Goten whispered, his heart aching at the words but his body soaking them up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Louder, Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m yours,” Goten repeated, tone deeper and rougher. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good boy,” Trunks murmured, and Goten’s entire body erupted with goosebumps. “You’re so good for me, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten whined, his hand all but flying now, mind and body drunk on the pleasure soaring within it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So good and so pretty… I miss being inside that tight little ass of yours. Bet it would look real pretty all marked up from me spanking it hard.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh God, yes,” Goten gasped. “Want you to spank the fuck outta me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks let out a sound that gave away how deeply into this he was and how good he was making himself feel. “Maybe I will next time. Make you get on your hands and knees and spank you til you’re crying and begging me to stop. Then I’d sink into you and fuck you into the mattress until you’re screaming for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten let out a strangled, desperate moan. “Fuck yeah, fuck me hard, Daddy, make me feel it for a week.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks choked on his words and time suddenly stopped. “Did you just - did you call me -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes flew open and he blushed so hard it almost hurt. “I - I didn’t mean t-“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Say it again,” Trunks growled. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “... Fuck me, Daddy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You really are fucking perfect, aren’t you,” Trunks groaned, and Goten could not have been more relieved and aroused. This man really was everything he’d always wished </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks was. “Go faster, Goten, I’m not gonna last much longer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten was all too happy to comply, working his hand faster and harder and biting his lip as he felt his peak build quickly. “Mm, you’re so hot, Daddy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks moaned wantonly, not bothering to hide just how much that term affected him. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Goten…</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Grinning and feeling like he had the upper hand for once, Goten added, “You feel so good inside me, Daddy, better than anyone I’ve ever fucked. I want you so bad, can’t stop thinking about you. Can’t even fuck anyone else anymore ‘cause I just want you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>baby</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Trunks moaned softly, his low tone growing shaky, and Goten knew just from his voice that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “You gotta come for me, Goten. Please, baby, come for Daddy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten obeyed before Trunks even finished his sentence, coming hard into his fist and on his abs with a breathless, satisfied moan. He listened to Trunks gasp through his own orgasm, trying his best to picture it in his mind’s eye and quickly deciding that nothing could compare to seeing the real thing. Maybe next time he’d ask for a video call. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After they’d each caught their breaths enough to speak, Trunks let out a soft little laugh and remarked, “Daddy kink, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I guess,” Goten smiled, eyes closed and body gloriously relaxed. “Never called anyone that before. Just… came out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I like it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank Kami, ‘cause otherwise that would have been awkward.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both laughed, and Trunks’ tone grew unbelievably fond. “I’m glad you called me tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too. Wish you were here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Me too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“When do you think you can come visit again?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks fell silent then, and Goten was suddenly afraid that he shouldn’t have asked that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... I’m not sure,” Trunks finally replied, to Goten’s relief. “Soon, hopefully.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled, letting his eyes fall shut. “‘Kay. You promise?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled. “Goten…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pleeeease,” Goten pled sweetly, trying his best to infuse his trademarked puppy dog eyes into his tone. “I promise I’ll be real good for you, Daddy. You’ll be glad you came.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned. “You’re gonna be the death of me, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who, little old me?” Goten teased through a big dopey smile. “I just wanna make you happy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You do, baby,” Trunks murmured. “You do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled even wider, snuggling under his blanket and letting out a contented sigh. “Can you stay on til I fall asleep? Won’t be long.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure,” Trunks agreed, and true to Goten’s words, he was out like a light only moments later. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled as he listened to the sound of Goten snoring softly, taking in a deep breath and letting it out as sleep pulled at his own eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodnight, beautiful,” he whispered before hanging up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten awoke the next morning with a slight hangover and a lot of belated embarrassment over all the things he’d said to Trunks during their late night call, but it all faded away into a cloud of pure joy when Trunks sent him a text that said, </span>
  <em>
    <span>How does two weeks from tomorrow sound?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It sounds amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Goten replied with a massive smile. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Can’t wait. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two weeks from tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Future Trunks comes for a visit, but there’s an unexpected interruption from his younger self.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The story gets a little messy here 😬 but no worries, I have a plan! (Kind of! 😂) Thank you guys so much for reading and following along! I hope everyone is staying safe &amp; healthy 🖤</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Trunks gasped and clenched both fists into the soft sheets beneath him, back arching and thighs trembling as wave after wave of pleasure coursed mercilessly through him. Sweat trickled down his forehead and his voice was hoarse as he groaned, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Go… Goten, fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Nestled between the older man’s legs, Goten grinned as much as he could around the mouthful of cock he was sucking, two fingers pressed deep inside of Trunks and matching the rhythm of his mouth. While Goten really felt no true urge to dominate Trunks and never had, he had to admit that there was something particularly intoxicating about having the strong, powerful man all laid out like this and turning into putty in his hands. He looked so damn beautiful like this, a mess of sweaty muscles and long tangled lavender locks, his face twisted up in ecstasy, and it made Goten feel ten feet tall knowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> was the reason for it all. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He swallowed Trunks down to the root, his fingers curled against that sweet spot within him, and Trunks’ entire body convulsed as he suddenly grabbed at Goten’s hair and panted, “I can’t - I’m coming, I’m -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten didn’t mind, happily accepting the warmth that spurted on his tongue and groaning at not only the strangely sweet taste but the way that Trunks’ body clamped down on his fingers. Even in the throes of his own orgasms, Goten didn’t think anything satisfied him more than satisfying Trunks. It filled him with a contented joy from the inside out, made him feel like he was floating and happy and fulfilled, and he wondered if it showed on his face as he gently pulled away and wiped at his mouth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beneath him, Trunks was breathing hard and sprawled out across Goten’s bed, eyes closed and body shivering with the occasional aftershock. Goten smirked and bit his lip as he drank in the sight, asking before he could think better of it, “Mind if I take a picture?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ cracked an eye open. “Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s smirk widened. “I just… you look amazing right now. I wanna remember it forever.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks flushed but eventually nodded, and Goten grabbed his phone excitedly. He fumbled with the camera and then sat back as he positioned it the way that he wanted, Trunks asking somewhat nervously, “Should I… do you want me to look at you, or -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever you want,” Goten smiled. “Don’t think, just… be, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled, letting out a breath and murmuring lowly, “Just be.”  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten groaned quietly as he took a few pictures, marveling, “Kami, you’re so fucking hot, Trunks. It’s not even fair. Shit,” he set his phone aside and tilted his head, “you’re still hard, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned, his sudden slight shyness dissipating with the phone’s disappearance. He glanced down at his lap and shrugged, raising a brow at his lover. “Guess so.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Guess it’s my lucky night,” Goten grinned back, climbing over Trunks and kissing him long and deep. Their tongues collided and both men groaned, Trunks’ fingers burying themselves into Goten’s coarse, shaggy hair, their bodies melting into each other like it was second nature. And maybe by now it was, Goten mused. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was the second night of Trunks’ latest visit, and Goten had already lost track of how many times they’d fucked. It would have been easy to solely blame their Saiyan stamina and appetites but Goten knew it was more than that, knew beyond any doubt by this point just how blazing hot and insatiable the passion between them was. They were learning each other’s bodies and mastering the art of satisfying one another, to the point where Goten no longer merely wondered if he was ruined or not. It was now painfully obvious - he could never go back to casual hookups with attractive Earthlings, not after getting a taste of what true perfection was like. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But since he knew this relationship had been doomed from the moment it began, Goten knew he had no other choice but to do just that. All the more reason to savor it while he could. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm,” Goten sighed against Trunks’ lips, enjoying the slick sliding of their cocks and the building friction, pulling away just far enough to be able to look down and watch for a moment. “We look good together.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled and gave his ass a playful but sharp little slap. “You look good on top of me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten gave him a saucy grin, rolling his hips and asking, “Yeah, you like watching me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I could watch you all night,” Trunks affirmed, both hands on his ass now and squeezing tight. “You’re so gorgeous… confident, and dirty… it’s like you were made to tempt me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His heart stuttering in his chest, Goten blushed and his rhythm faltered. “Really?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled and cupped Goten’s cheek, tracing his thumb over his lower lip. “You’re perfect, baby.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten didn’t expect his eyes to sting with sudden tears, but that was exactly what happened as those sweet words sunk in. Any reply he might have managed to muster was swallowed in a fierce kiss that Trunks gave him, and before he knew it Trunks was sitting up and readjusting him in his lap and whispering, </span>
  <em>
    <span>ride me, Goten.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten sighed happily as he obeyed and sunk down on Trunks’ cock, both men closing their eyes and relishing that initial rush of sensation. Trunks was breathing hard against Goten’s neck, his arms wrapped around him, and Goten’s fingers ran through Trunks’ hair as his body sang at being one with him again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Distantly, he wondered how different fusing with </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks would be as opposed to with </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks. He wondered how much of the already-staggering intimacy of fusion would be amplified, how the mutual lust between them would translate into their own version of Gotenks, how different Future Trunks’ mind would feel from his counterpart. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wondered if the younger Trunks would be angry if Goten fused with his future self, since fusion had always been their special thing since they were kids. Trunks had even made Goten promise back then that he’d never fuse with anyone else, and at the time Goten had been all too happy to agree and bask in the glow of Trunks’ possessive nature. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A faint prickle of guilt nagged at the back of his mind, but Goten quickly pushed it away. His Trunks had no right to be angry about any of this, he reasoned with himself for the millionth time. He could have had Goten since the very beginning but he’d chosen not to, and that meant that Goten had every right to fuck whoever the hell he wanted. Including the alternate version of Trunks whose cock was currently buried inside of him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Trunks’ voice gently nudged him. “You okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten opened his eyes, realizing how he’d accidentally drifted off for a moment there, and he nodded as a smile slowly crept to his lips. He stared at Trunks, at the version of his lifelong best friend who had grown up in an apocalypse with nothing and almost no one, who had endured so much and was still standing somehow, who was so gentle and sweet and haunted and conflicted, and Goten wanted to wrap his arms around him and never let go. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t dare open his mouth, knowing what would come out if he did. Instead he pressed their lips together and started rocking in Trunks’ lap, knowing he’d never have neither Trunks’ heart but that he could have this for awhile longer, until it all came crashing down. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, it was a damn effective distraction. It was all too easy to get lost in the older man, to let the pleasure that came so effortlessly between them take him over and numb the ache inside. He let Trunks guide their rhythm, steady but deep and angled just right, and he gasped in delight when he let his head fall back and soon felt teeth sinking into his skin. Trunks loved marking him up and Goten was all too happy to bear the marks, almost wishing he could get them tattooed and make them last forever. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You feel so good, baby,” Trunks murmured, lips pressed to Goten’s collarbone and hands firm on his hips. “Always so tight for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Spine tingling under the praise, Goten shivered and clung a little more tightly to Trunks. “‘Cause only you get to fuck me now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That earned a low growl from Trunks’ throat, and he raised his head to look up at Goten through hooded eyes as he leaned their foreheads together. “Only me, Goten? You mean that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks thrusted up particularly hard and Goten yelped before nodding, “Nobody else, I promise. Just you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right,” Trunks purred, hands sliding back to his ass and gripping hard. “This is all mine, isn’t it, beautiful?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten bit his lip and nodded, his eyes dazed with heat as he met Trunks’ own heavy gaze. “All yours, Daddy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The sound that left Trunks’ throat was nothing short of feral as he flipped them around so fast it made Goten’s head spin, his back hitting the mattress and legs getting thrown over broad shoulders as Trunks began fucking him like his life depended on it. Goten moaned and smiled dreamily, that Daddy kink proving to be quite the handy thing. It was guaranteed to drive Trunks absolutely wild every time it slipped out of Goten’s mouth, and he was quickly learning how to use it to his advantage. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks pounded into him mercilessly now, Goten’s bedroom filled with the sounds of the distressed mattress beneath them and their own moans and heavy breathing, punctuated by the filthy slaps of skin against skin and the next words that Trunks breathed into his ear. “Do you have any idea what you do to me, Goten?” When Goten only whined quietly in response, Trunks gripped his hair and tugged sharply and whispered, “Do you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“N-no,” Goten replied honestly, opening his eyes to find Trunks gazing down at him with an intensity that nearly made his heart stop. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t… stop… thinking… about you,” he confessed, hard thrusts punctuating each word. “No matter what I do. It’s… making me… fucking crazy. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You</span>
  </em>
  <span> make me crazy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s mouth fell open in unfettered shock. Trunks took advantage and kissed him hard and dirty while Goten’s mind reeled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Say you’re mine,” Trunks demanded as he fucked Goten even harder, both men nearing the point of no return now. “Say it, Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m yours, Daddy,” Goten whispered, short nails digging into Trunks’ back as his body trembled with impending ecstasy. “I’m - </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> - I’m yours, Trunks, I - </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh</span>
  </em>
  <span> -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s right,” Trunks purred, watching Goten’s face flush and burn with pleasure. “Come for me, </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>beautiful.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No matter how many times it had happened before, it still blew Goten’s mind every time just how good it was with Trunks. He came hard and fast, every last wave of his release exquisite and mind-blowing, and Trunks spilling inside of him with a rough groan only made it better. He would never get enough of this, never be satisfied, never be ready to walk away and give this up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Goten laid there recovering, he expected Trunks to snuggle up to him and do the same but was surprised when he felt him pull away instead. He opened his eyes only to find Trunks grabbing his own phone and turning the camera on to him, explaining with a grin, “It’s only fair.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten grinned back, not minding in the least. He stretched his arms above his head and let his legs spread open a little wider, replying, “Anything you want, Daddy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned quietly as he snapped a few pictures, and Goten could only imagine the debauched sight that he made - thoroughly fucked out, stomach and chest splattered in his own come, thighs open and showing off the wetness dripping down them, not an inch of shame anywhere to be seen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re so damn pretty,” Trunks murmured, tossing the phone away and leaning down to kiss him. “How the hell are you real?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten giggled and nipped at his lower lip. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kami</span>
  </em>
  <span> he loved being praised like this. “Be careful, Trunks, my ego’s gonna get outta control at this rate.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“My dick’s gonna get outta control at this rate,” Trunks shot back, and this time they both laughed before falling into another series of lazy kisses. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually their lips parted, Trunks laying with a sigh at Goten’s side and muttering, “We need to get cleaned up. We’re disgusting. But I don’t wanna move.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Me either,” Goten yawned, slipping in closer. “Let’s just be disgusting and worry about it in the morning.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled and kissed his forehead. “Any plans for tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shook his head, heavy eyes quickly  falling closed. “You’ve got me all to yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mm. Good. Better sleep then,” Trunks warned, “because I’m gonna keep you busy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten grinned and sleepily muttered something along the lines of how he’d hold him to that promise, and then he drifted into a peaceful, dreamless slumber. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The following day, however, didn’t quite go as Goten had planned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To his surprise, his Trunks texted him around dinner time to invite him over to his place and hang out, just the two of them. Goten tried to decline but Trunks was persistent as ever, and after nearly half an hour of going back and forth, Future Trunks told Goten with an exasperated smile to just go and that he’d be fine on his own in the meanwhile. Goten tried to argue but in the end he showered and dressed and headed over to Trunks’ apartment, feeling incredibly strange about the entire situation but reminding himself that it was imperative to stay cool. The last thing he needed was Trunks picking up on his discomfort and asking a thousand questions until he cracked and told him the truth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that was how he ended up half drunk on the younger Trunks’ couch, laughing until it hurt as Trunks talked bullshit and told him stories about his life as a corporate drone that Goten suspected were at least half made up. It didn’t really matter though, and it felt good to hang out with him again like this - these kinds of nights had become rare after Trunks had found his fiancée. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We need to do this more often,” Trunks declared, refilling their glasses of scotch that sat on the coffee table in front of them. “Feel like I’ve barely seen you lately. And,” he handed Goten his drink with an accusatory look, “you tried to bail on me tonight like a dick.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten blushed and shrugged, “I was… busy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Busy with fuckin’ what?” Trunks scoffed, though he leaned in closer to Goten and took a loud sniff before making a face. “Ugh, never mind - you smell like a damn sex club.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes bulged. “What?! I took a shower right before I came over! I don’t smell like anything!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” Trunks snorted, taking a sip of his scotch and getting comfortable, draping his arm over the back of the couch. Goten had to admit, he looked damn good tonight - short hair immaculate as always, crisp blue button down shirt and black slacks. “So, who is it - pretty girl or pretty boy? Or both? Neither?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck fuck fuckity fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I - oh, fuck off.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks laughed. “Oh, come on. I’m not trying to give you shit, I’m just curious. I mean, I’m about to vow to have sex with the same person for the rest of my life - I kinda envy you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, poor Trunks, about to get married to the most stunning woman on the planet. Excuse me while I play the world’s smallest violin and -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck you,” Trunks punched him lightly in the shoulder. “Just tell me, Ten. Give me </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten sighed heavily, feeling incredibly weird about all of this and taking another long drink, hoping that getting more drunk might help. “It’s a guy, all right? Happy now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it,” Trunks grinned. “You’re walking kinda funny. Always a dead giveaway.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s face went up in flames. “I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, sure. So who is he? Anyone I know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten wanted to die, or at least for the ground to open up and swallow him into an abyss. “.... No.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it serious?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>I wish</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “No, just casual.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks hummed, leaning his head on his hand. “You’re a lucky bastard.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten squinted at him. “Seriously?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Trunks sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing at him as if he were suddenly tired. “It just hit me the other day how real all this wedding shit is. And don’t get me wrong, I love her, but it’s like… it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>happening</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you know? And once it’s done, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>done</span>
  </em>
  <span> and there’s no going back. I really will only sleep with one woman for the rest of my life.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, but… it’s not like you haven’t had your fill of sleeping around,” Goten pointed out. “Didn’t you lose count after 200?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shrugged. “Yeah. But there’s still a lot I didn’t get to do. Shit I didn’t get to experiment with.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten was highly confused. “Like what?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks met Goten’s bewildered gaze, hesitating for a moment or two before setting his drink down and settling back in - was he a little closer now? “Hey, Ten. Do you remember when we were teenagers and we got into that bottle of tequila and got wasted for the first time?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s blood turned to ice in his veins. He stopped breathing, every ounce of willpower suddenly diverted to making sure he didn’t look as much like a deer in headlights as he felt. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks didn’t look away, didn’t break eye contact, didn’t shy away at all like Goten hoped he would. “Do you remember what we did that night?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He really </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing this, bringing up the one night they’d both promised nearly ten years prior to never mention again. His throat felt dry and his heart began beating wildly. “Trunks -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know we swore not to talk about it again, but I - I’ve been… thinking about it,” Trunks confessed with a lick of his lips, and this time Goten knew he wasn’t imagining it - he really was inching closer. “And I started wondering if maybe… you’d be open to helping me experiment a little before it’s too late.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s jaw hit the ground. Alarm bells rang in his head and panic threatened to set in, but before he could ask Trunks if he was out of his fucking mind, suddenly there was a hand on his thigh and all he could do was look down and stare at it dumbly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was really happening. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He blinked a few times and, despite his bewilderment and half-drunken state, he suddenly realized that this had been very premeditated on Trunks’ part. The lights in his penthouse apartment were dim, slow music was playing softly in the background, and Trunks had even dressed far nicer than he usually did just to sit around and get drunk with Goten. Trunks was </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying</span>
  </em>
  <span> to seduce him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up at Trunks and stared at him wordlessly, mouth still wide open, his face indistinguishable from that of a confused puppy’s. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks merely grinned and let his hand wander up higher before lifting it to nudge at Goten’s chin. “Oh, come on, Ten, don’t look so shocked. Besides, I know you’re still attracted to me - I catch you checking me out all the time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Something in Goten’s heart shattered. Could Trunks really be this cruel, he wondered, to use Goten’s attraction to his advantage like this? To seduce him and tempt him like this even knowing how Goten had felt about him all along? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But your fiancée,” Goten managed weakly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She doesn’t have to know,” Trunks shrugged, careless. “And besides, it’s just you - you’re my best friend.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s just you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before Goten could process just how devastating those words were, Trunks kissed him and took away his ability to think. He tasted like scotch and mint and misery, and Goten didn’t have the strength to push him away. He’d wanted this for so long, had ached for it for years, </span>
  <em>
    <span>forever</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and even though it was all wrong and nothing he’d ever wished for, it was still </span>
  <em>
    <span>his Trunks</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it was real and he kissed him back with everything he had. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned into the kiss, their tongues tangling hungrily before he broke away and whispered, “You’re good at that.” Then he kissed Goten again, deeper this time, and Goten felt Trunks take the drink out of his hand and set it aside. Then he was grabbing at Goten, moaning lowly into his mouth before breaking away only to push him down to his back on the couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His head spinning, Goten looked up in a daze and watched as Trunks straddled him, slipping a hand up the front of his shirt and across his abs and ribs until he reached a hard, well defined pec. The other hand soon followed, pushing up Goten’s shirt to his shoulders so that Trunks would run his palms all over his skin and marvel, “Damn, Ten. You’re trembling.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Was he? Goten hadn’t noticed, but it didn’t surprise him. Trunks leaned down and kissed him again, every bit as hard and dizzying as before, and Goten gasped loudly when one of Trunks’ curious hands passed over the front of his jeans. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Trunks chuckled, gently rubbing the hardness he found there, “that didn’t take long, huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten opened his mouth to say something, anything, but all that came out was a pathetically desperate moan that Trunks took entirely as encouragement. He unzipped Goten’s jeans and had his cock out in seconds, wrapping his hand around it and stroking as he kissed Goten again, hard and passionate. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten felt like a live wire, his brain useless and body on fire as he clung to Trunks and whimpered, fucking up into his fist and behaving as if he hadn’t been touched in years. Trunks pulled away for air but didn’t go far, grinning down at his best friend and murmuring, “This is kinda fun. You’re so responsive, Ten. You gonna come for me like this?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten let out something between a sob and a gasp, curling his fingers into Trunks’ hair and whispering, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Please, please please</span>
  </em>
  <span>…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw, you don’t have to beg,” Trunks purred, hand moving faster, lips pressed to the corner of his jaw. “You’re such a good boy, aren’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Heartbroken but physically </span>
  <em>
    <span>flying</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Goten shuddered and tightened his grip on Trunks’ hair, his hips stuttering as he came with a shout. Everything went white hot for a moment but as soon as the bliss arrived it was gone and replaced with a buzzing in his ears and burgeoning sense of shame. When he opened his eyes to find Trunks grinning down at him and examining his hand, streaked with white and dripping, Trunks chuckled lowly and murmured, “Damn. That was beautiful.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beautiful. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Beautiful</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This is all mine, isn’t it, beautiful?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shot up as if he’d been electrocuted, his face paling as the reality of what he’d done hit him like a runaway train. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No. No, no, no, no</span>
  </em>
  <span>….</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Ten? You okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten looked up and felt a wave of nausea wrack through him as he looked at his best friend, the face of Future Trunks overlapping with his younger self’s and making Goten pale even further. All he could see was longer hair and softer eyes, the sweet way that he looked at Goten when they kissed, the gentle way that he held him, the intoxicatingly possessive way he told Goten over and over that he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>all his</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The younger Trunks blinked. “Goten? Are you -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have to go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten all but jumped off of the couch, pulling his shirt down and fixing his jeans with shaking hands, swallowing down a lump in his throat that might have been vomit as he headed straight for the window. He heard Trunks calling after him and demanding to know what the hell was wrong with him, but Goten tuned him out and didn’t stop until he’d opened the nearest window and flown right out of it. He’d left his shoes behind but he didn’t care, and to his relief, Trunks didn’t try to follow him. He flew straight towards his apartment, unaware that tears were flowing down his cheeks until his vision grew too blurry to see where he was going. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What had he done? </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Goten and Future Trunks hash it out, and the younger Trunks gets more than he bargained for.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I was worried I’d lose some folks with the last chapter so thank you guys for sticking with me 😂 also I apologize in advance for this chapter 😫 (next one will be better tho!)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Future Trunks was sitting silently in the middle of Goten’s living room floor meditating peacefully when the front door suddenly flew open. Trunks opened his eyes and was taken aback by the sight of a rather bedraggled looking Goten, barefoot and flushed and puffy eyed as he stumbled through the door with his head hanging low. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Goten?” Trunks asked, quickly hopping to his feet and rushing to the younger man. “Are you okay? What happened?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten only managed one sheepish glance at Trunks before his face crumpled and he jerked away from Trunks’ outstretched hands. Then Goten hid his face in his own hands and began sobbing, and Trunks’ brows flew to his hairline as he watched in slight horror. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thinking the worst because that was what his life had taught him to always expect, Trunks grabbed Goten’s wrists and wrenched his hands down, asking firmly, “Goten, what happened? Did someone get hurt? Are </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> hurt? Were you attacked?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten stared at him with watery, miserable eyes, shaking his head. Trunks frowned and gave a few subtle sniffs, detecting a fair amount of alcohol and sweat and… </span>
  <em>
    <span>huh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” Goten sniffled, his shame written all over his face. “I know we’re not - we never said that we </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> - but I still shouldn’t have - I shouldn’t - oh God I’m a piece of shit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks was beyond confused. He held Goten gently by his shoulders and murmured, “Goten, just take a breath and tell me, okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten nodded and, with seemingly a great deal of effort, drew a calming breath and slowly let it out. He almost broke again, but a few determined sniffs later he maintained his tenuous composure and said, “Trunks… he… we drank and talked and… he asked me if I would… help him experiment, before he gets married and can’t anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks felt a pang of jealousy that he desperately wanted to ignore but couldn't. When he didn’t reply, Goten went on, “I just… I froze and I… I couldn’t say no. He was seducing me the whole night and I didn’t even realize it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded stiffly, his hands falling from Goten’s shoulders. “You slept with him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Goten shook his head, a thrill of fear passing through his eyes after Trunks’ hands left him. “No, he jerked me off and then I looked at him and…” His face fell and fresh tears spilled from his eyes, Goten’s voice painfully shaky. “All I could see was you. It was all wrong, I didn’t mean to… to do that. I want </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I want -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head, unable to handle the level of emotion that Goten was operating at right now. “No, Goten, I understand. We never agreed to be exclusive. You love him - it’s only natural that you’d let him do what he wanted.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then he turned away, clenching his fists at his sides and trying to suppress his own emotions that were trying to bubble up and claw their way out. Goten stared after him, expression somehow turning even more dejected. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You… you don’t care?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks winced and froze where he stood, Goten’s broken tone as painful as a knife to his heart. His eyes began to sting and he wanted to scream with both rage and jealousy but instead he took a careful breath and replied without looking back, “I should go back home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He never should have let himself get so entangled with this timeline or the charming, incredibly lovable second son of Goku, but that ship had long sailed. Now he had to deal with the miserable consequences. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Goten had other ideas. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No!” he cried, stumbling to Trunks and turning him around to face him. “No, Trunks, please don’t leave like this. I’m sorry, I’m sorry - please, just - Trunks, look at me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes were squeezed shut, knowing if he opened them and looked into those big sad brown eyes he’d melt at Goten’s feet and lose all his resolve. He shook his head but Goten’s hands grasped his cheeks and pulled him close as he continued to beg and plead, each word breaking Trunks’ heart into ever tinier pieces. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks,” Goten whispered, so close that Trunks could smell the tears running down his cheeks, “please believe me. He’s - I love him but he’s not… he’s not what I want, not anymore. Don’t you see, Trunks? </span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes opened at last. Disbelieving blue eyes met earnest, sincere brown ones, and Trunks’ voice was small and foreign-sounding as he replied quietly, “Goten, please don’t say that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But it’s true,” Goten confessed, two new tears escaping those eyes and drifting down his face. “I’ve been in love with you since you came to see me on my birthday.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks winced and looked away, taking Goten’s wrists and tugging his hands down. “Stop, Goten, please…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But Trunks -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop it!” Trunks shouted, stunning Goten into wide-eyed silence. He froze too, shocked at his own outburst but quickly regaining his even tone as he added, “Don't you get it? This - us - it can't last. It was never gonna last. We’re from different worlds, Goten, different timelines, and nothing’s ever gonna change that. We never should have slept together in the first place - I knew it was gonna fuck everything up.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten stared at Trunks with such open hurt that Trunks couldn’t stand it, turning away from him again as he went on, “You and Other Me probably would have found your way to each other if I’d just stayed out of it. He wouldn’t have come on to you tonight if he wasn’t attracted to you. Ugh, I’m an idiot,” Trunks began pacing, dragging tense fingers through his hair. “He’s probably in love with you, too. Just scared to lose you and that’s why he’s never admitted it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten stared at Trunks and blinked in surprise at his words, but then he shook his head. “No, he… I don’t think it’s like that at all. He treated it like a joke tonight, almost. Said he catches me checking him out all the time so he knows I still want him. And when I mentioned his fiancée he said it didn’t matter because it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>just me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks stopped pacing. “He said </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shrugged, but he couldn’t hide the hurt etched in his features. “Yeah. So I don’t think he loves me like that. I think he’s just freaking out about the wedding and using me to act out because,” Goten snorted bitterly, “it’s just me. He knows I’ll never say no to him. Just a game to him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks didn’t bother to hide his disgust for his other self, but still he shook his head and muttered, “Either way, we made a mistake doing this, Goten. And it’s only gonna get worse if we keep going. I should… I need to get going. I’ve interfered with this timeline enough.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks then turned to head towards the bedroom where his belongings were, including his capsule case with the time machine inside, but Goten suddenly flashed in front of him with inhuman speed and stopped him in his tracks. Trunks’ eyes widened fractionally at the anger in Goten’s red-rimmed eyes, his newfound fury rolling off of him in palpable waves. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So that’s it, then?” Goten asked. “Just like that, you give up? What happened to all that talk of </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re mine, Goten? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Was it all just bullshit?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks clenched his jaw, eyes turning steely. “I say a lot of shit when I’m fucking.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know what,” Goten seethed, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You’re no different than him. The second you have to deal with some uncomfortable feelings you turn tail and run, just like him and just like your dad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks narrowed his eyes. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Goten</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’d understand if you ended it because I let him touch me,” Goten went on, ignoring him. “Because Kami knows I hate myself for it. But ending it because I love you and because I worked up the nerve to tell you? That’s bullshit and you know it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t love me,” Trunks retorted. “You love </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You only think you love me because I’m wearing his face and I don’t treat you like shit like he does. If I had a different name and face you never would have looked twice at me and you know it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s face gave away how much those words had hurt, but he was quick to shoot back, “And would you have fucked me if I didn’t look just like Gohan? Don’t act like we weren’t in the same boat from the start, you fucker. But for the record, yeah, I can say with confidence now that I’d love you no matter what the hell you look like or what name you have, so -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop!” Trunks shouted, his hair whipping around him as his power rose only momentarily with the force of his voice. “Shut up! You can’t love me, Goten, don’t you see? This was never supposed to be about love, it was just -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was just supposed to be fucking, I know,” Goten said, coming closer to him, “but it turned into something more and you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> it did, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head, closing his eyes and trying to turn away but he found himself utterly unable to when Goten’s hands rose to gently cradle his face. “Goten, please,” he muttered, his voice wavering with the emotions he was failing spectacularly at suppressing. “I just want you to be happy. I’ve fucked up your life enough and I don’t wanna make it worse.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The only way you’ll make it worse is if you leave like this,” Goten replied, leaning his forehead against Trunks’. “Listen...  I’m not asking you to stay forever, okay? I’m just asking you to stay tonight, and to just… think about what I’m saying. And to believe me when I tell you how I feel, because let me tell you… it might sound weird but after what happened tonight I’ve never been more certain. I want </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks sighed shakily and looked up into Goten’s sweet, painfully honest eyes, knowing there wasn’t a shred of deception there. It felt like his heart was being sawed in half, but Trunks was starting to realize he’d bear any pain if it meant being close to this man. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten smiled softly. “I love </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don’t want anyone else. Not even Other You. Not anymore. I want to be yours, Trunks. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Really</span>
  </em>
  <span> yours.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks gazed into his eyes, getting lost in the open adoration that he found within those dark depths, and then he was leaning in closer and Goten met him halfway in a sweet, gentle kiss. It was so different from the countless others that they’d shared, so soft and innocent but so full of longing and affection, and it made Trunks’ aching heart sing. He pulled Goten closer and poured himself into the kiss, saying with his actions what he was afraid to with his words, and even though he knew it wouldn’t change a damn thing about their situation or the incomprehensible distances that separated them… he decided to simply stop fighting for the time being. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And that, of course, was when an all-too familiar voice rang out from the still-open doorway. “Well, this explains a lot.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks and Goten both stiffened and broke apart, eyes flying to the younger version of Trunks standing there watching them, Goten’s abandoned shoes dangling from his left hand. His eyes were stony and unreadable, not quite angry but definitely not friendly either, and Future Trunks couldn’t help the low, almost animalistic growl that tumbled from his throat at the sight of the unwanted intruder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The younger Trunks merely smirked back. “Yeah, you don’t scare me. I think it’s time for you to go back home now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten felt like he was watching a train wreck unfold in real time, unable to do a damn thing to stop it despite being the catalyst for the collision. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was going to end badly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks, this isn’t -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t what it looks like?” Trunks guessed, dropping Goten’s shoes to the floor and strolling leisurely into the apartment. “Do me a favor and spare me the bullshit, okay? I get the feeling you’ve been lying to me for awhile now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shook his head. “I haven’t lied. This wasn’t any of your business.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Trunks laughed, gesturing to Future Trunks as he continued to stand protectively in front of Goten. “How is it not my business? He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m nothing like you,” Future Trunks interjected lowly. “You’re a spoiled little fuck.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and what, you’re the big noble hero, right? Mr. Perfect Fucking Savior, second only to Goku - fucking shut up, man, I’ve listened to that shit my whole life. Do you know how fucked up it was growing up in my own shadow?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, I bet it was real hard. Living in peacetime and having both parents and all the money in the world must have been terrible.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten laid a hand on Future Trunks’ shoulder. “Trunks, please don’t. He’s just trying to provoke you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks made a face at the display. “Seriously, Ten? What the fuck has this guy done to you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shot Trunks a glare. “You’re drunk and you need to leave. We can talk in the morning.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going anywhere,” Trunks declared. “Not until he gets the fuck out of here and back to his own damn world.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t answer to you,” Future Trunks replied, standing his ground. Goten could feel his ki spiking, and he had a feeling he knew how this confrontation was gonna end if he didn’t defuse it somehow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, course not, but guess what? You can’t just waltz into my world and take what isn’t yours. Goten is </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> best friend and you have no right to come here and try to take him from me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks took a step closer to his younger self. “Then maybe you shouldn’t have taken him for granted.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay,” Goten said, quickly sliding between the two of them and pushing them apart. “Fucking hell. I’m right here. Don’t talk about me like I’m not here. Trunks,” he turned to his lifelong best friend, “you’re being a dick. Stop it. You need to go home and get some sleep. And you,” he turned to Future Trunks, his eyes and voice softening, “please don’t let him goad you. Don’t let this turn into a fight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks seemed to listen to Goten’s voice of reason, but Trunks laughed and muttered, “Wow, Goten. This is hilarious. Does he know what happened tonight?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Goten said through gritted teeth, glowering at Trunks, “and we were dealing with it before you came barging in here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The door was open, Ten. That’s hardly barging in.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten forced himself to breathe and count to five before speaking again. “Trunks. I’m not gonna ask you again. Go home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks didn’t so much as blink. “How long have you been fucking him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten didn’t flinch. “Trunks -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it serious?” Trunks asked, a vicious edge to his otherwise casual tone. “Do you love him like you love me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten froze, staring at his best friend as he drove yet another dagger into his heart. Trunks was a lot of things, but he’d never been </span>
  <em>
    <span>cruel</span>
  </em>
  <span> like this until tonight. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I doubt it,” Trunks mused, answering his own question and fixing his stare on his older self. “Getting into your pants tonight was too easy. He’s just a replacement for me, isn’t he? I bet if I called the wedding off right now and asked you to come home with me you’d never look back.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten had never felt smaller or more insignificant. Trunks wasn’t even looking at him, seemingly just using him as a pawn in some kind of strange pissing contest with himself, either unaware or unconcerned that with each word Goten died a little more inside. Trunks was treating him like a favorite toy that another kid was trying to steal, and Goten’s eyes filled with tears as he realized that this was never going to change. No matter how hard he wished or hoped, the boy that he’d grown up with - his other half, his soulmate, his first and only love - was never going to love him the way that he deserved. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“See? I knew it,” Trunks grinned triumphantly, mistaking the grief on Goten’s face for something else entirely. “Come on, pal. Tell this guy to get lost and come back to my place.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blinked. “No?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten met Trunks’ gaze head on. “No.” Then Goten punched him square in the face, the bones of Trunks’ nose shattering beneath his fist, and as Trunks cried out and fell to the floor, Goten turned around and told Future Trunks, “Get me out of here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks blinked at Goten, glancing at the other Trunks writhing on the floor in pain and then looking back to Goten. “Are you sure, because -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Goten nodded firmly. “I don’t care where we go, as long as it isn’t here.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks bit his lip. “I’ve got my time machine. You can come back to my world with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite it all, and despite the way that Goten’s heart still throbbed within his chest, he managed to smile a little and nod enthusiastically. “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You… fuckers,” the younger Trunks groaned from the floor, his hands and face now covered in blood pouring from his nose. “Dammit, Ten, you broke my fucking nose! What the hell?! I’m gonna fuckin’...”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Trunks’ threats died on his tongue when he sat up and looked around only to find the apartment empty. He blinked and called Goten’s name, getting to his feet and checking each room for him, but all he found was an open window in Goten’s bedroom and no signs of him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d left with Future Trunks, Trunks realized. He groaned and slid down to the floor, sitting with his back to the foot of Goten’s bed, burying his busted face in his hands and cursing himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Goten and Future Trunks were already long gone, traveling through the fabric of space and time together towards a world that Goten had only heard stories about. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Future Trunks takes Goten on a tour of his world.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you guys so much for your comments and kudos 😭😭😭 little bit longer chapter this time, and during one scene there’s a semi-lengthy explanation of the weirdness with Trunks’ timeline being erased before Whis and Beerus allowed him to go back to his world before it all went to hell and thus resulted in there being two Trunks and two Mais in the same world - to be honest I barely understand any of it and I hope I got it right but I felt like I needed some kind of explanation in there for readers not familiar with all of that 😂 So with all that being said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and thank you again for being amazing!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Goten awoke the next morning, it was in an unfamiliar bed in an even more unfamiliar room, in a world that was not his own. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His head throbbing a bit and eyes bleary as he rubbed them and slowly sat up, Goten took a minute to yawn and let his brain flicker back to life. He couldn’t remember where the hell he was until his sleepy gaze drifted across the room and spotted a sword propped up against the wall. That was all it took for the previous night’s events to come rushing back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He closed his eyes and groaned, sinking back down into the bed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So that really did happen</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he mused, </span>
  <em>
    <span>and it wasn’t just a nightmare</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fuck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After his spur of the moment request for Future Trunks to take him home, Goten had hopped aboard his time machine and arrived in Trunks’ timeline in the dead of night. Trunks took him to his room at Capsule Corp and insisted that Goten get some sleep, and when Goten tried to argue he simply pulled him down into bed and snuggled him until he fell asleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten turned his head and breathed in deeply, the pillow beneath him smelling like Trunks’ shampoo and his own distinct scent, and Goten sighed and wished he could just drown in it. What he had spontaneously confessed to the older man the night before was true - Goten was in love with him, for better or worse. They might have been the definition of star crossed lovers, but Goten had never really had a chance to save himself. He was a goner from the second that Future Trunks showed up at his door after that party all those months ago, and now the younger Trunks knew and Goten was literally hiding in a whole other world to avoid him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Funny, considering Goten had accused Future Trunks of running away when things got uncomfortable. Guess he was no better, he figured as he sat up again and tossed the covers away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a quick detour in the bathroom, Goten put on his pants from the night before and gave himself a moment to look around the room. It was clean but definitely lived in, fairly tidy - normal for either Trunks - and Goten was immediately drawn to a slew of framed photos that sat atop an aged wooden dresser. A small smile crept to his face as he stepped closer, his eyes landing on a picture of a much younger Future Trunks and the Gohan he’d loved. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was surreal to see, Goten marveled as he picked up the picture. Trunks was a young teenager in the photo, Gohan much older and taller than him and bearing a distinct scar on the left side of his face. His left arm was gone and his features bore a sober heaviness that Goten had never seen on his own brother’s face before, but still he smiled at the camera along with his pupil, his right arm slung over Trunks’ narrow shoulders. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the last picture my mom took of us, before he was killed.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten startled and turned his head, finding Trunks standing just behind him with a fond, wistful look on his face. He smiled at Goten and took the picture from his hands, looking down at it and adding, “I remember trying to get out of it and telling my mom to put the camera away but I’m sure grateful for it now. I don’t have a lot of pictures with him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He looks so different from my Gohan,” Goten noted, eyes still on the photo. “Not just physically. It’s his eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Trunks sighed, carefully setting the photo back down on the dresser. “He had the whole world on his shoulders.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And now you do,” Goten pointed out ruefully. “You get the same look in your eyes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled, the gesture a little tight but not forced. “My mom and I made breakfast. You hungry?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s empty stomach growled and answered for him. They both chuckled and Goten scratched the back of his head as he muttered, “Your mom… it’s gonna be strange meeting her.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, she can’t wait to meet you,” Trunks replied with a faint blush, opening one of the dresser drawers and grabbing a plain black t-shirt that he then handed to Goten. “Here, you can wear this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ooh,” Goten teased as he slid the shirt on, finding it a little tight on him, “so we’re at the wearing each other’s clothes stage now?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ blush only deepened, and Goten grinned before pulling him into a soft, gentle kiss. He was relieved when Trunks kissed him back, having been worried that after last night things would be awkward or that Trunks would start putting distance between them. So far, so good. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Afterwards Trunks stayed close, looking down and playing with the hem of Goten’s shirt. “This barely fits you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten grinned. “You complaining?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head, casually running his hands up Goten’s chest and meeting his gaze. “Nah, you look damn good. Maybe </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> good for breakfast with my mom.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten laughed and kissed him again before turning and heading for the doorway. “Try not to drool too much, okay? Wouldn’t wanna embarrass yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks rolled his eyes and joined his side, taking the lead to guide Goten to the kitchen. He explained that most of Capsule Corp had been destroyed by the androids in the past and thus had been rebuilt in the following years, so the layout was a bit different from the one that Goten was used to. It added to the surreal feeling he’d had since the moment he woke up, but it was nothing compared to walking into the kitchen and meeting Future Bulma for the first time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was finishing up setting the table when the two men walked in, prompting her to look up and immediately give Goten a huge smile. “Well, hello boys! You must be the Goten I’ve heard so much about!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten tried not to cringe (though inwardly he was rather excited at the idea of Trunks talking to his mom about him) and smiled back, hand flying to the back of his head as he replied, “Yeah, that’s me. It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aw!” she squealed lightly, clasping her hands together and walking up to him for a closer look. “You’re doing the Goku hand-behind-the-head thing! I haven’t seen that in so long. My goodness,” she reached out and cupped Goten’s face, her bright blue eyes widening, “you really do look just like them both! Just like Goku and Gohan, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Those Son genes are made of steel, I think.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom,” Trunks cut in nervously, “maybe give him some space -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s fine,” Goten shrugged, honestly not bothered at all by the slight invasion of space. It was only Bulma, after all, and alternate timeline or no, she had always been a second mother to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma didn’t seem to hear either one of them, too busy looking Goten over and, to his slight alarm, suddenly growing teary eyed as she shook her head. “Oh, Kami, I miss them so much. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to cry like a baby but I guess I can’t help it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Goten reassured her just before she sniffed back a sob and pulled him into a sudden hug. Trunks was aghast but Goten simply hugged her back, knowing that as weird as this was for him, it had to be incredibly painful for her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully Bulma pulled herself together fairly quickly, forcing down her tears and pulling away while muttering apologies. “Thank you for coming, Goten,” she said through a watery smile. “You’re always welcome here, if you ever need somewhere to go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” Goten nodded, and he couldn’t help but admire the woman’s fortitude. The Bulma he knew was tough as nails too, but this one was something else. She was older and her eyes carried the same heaviness that Trunks’ did, as well as the Gohan in that picture. She’d lost too much, too many people, and those losses had certainly taken their toll, but she was still standing. She led them to the table that breakfast was waiting on, and despite Trunks’ visible anxiety, Goten wasn’t nervous in the least. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sure you’re both starving so dig in, no need to stand on ceremony,” Bulma chuckled once they were seated, and Goten groaned a word of gratitude before digging in. She smiled and leaned her head on her hand, watching him attack the food and noting, “Yep, definitely Goku’s son. You Saiyans sure know how to rack up a grocery bill.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I made the pancakes,” Trunks noted, gesturing to a large serving plate full of an ungodly amount of said confections. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, interesting,” Goten smirked at him around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. “Hopefully you’re a better cook than my Trunks. He can make toast and that’s about it, and even then he still usually burns it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Send him my way, I’ll whip him into shape,” Bulma winked. “From what I hear, he needs some tough love in </span>
  <em>
    <span>several</span>
  </em>
  <span> areas.” When Goten fell silent at that, she quickly added, “Trunks didn’t give me specifics so I’m not sure what happened or why he brought you here, but I’m pretty smart and I can read between the lines.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Washing down his first plateful of food with a glass of orange juice, Goten nodded and replied, “Yeah, it was kind of a… spur of the moment decision. I just needed a timeout, kind of, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I do,” Bulma nodded. “And like I said, you’re more than welcome to stay as long as you need.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I really appreciate it,” Goten told her sincerely. “And the food is </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span>, by the way. I think you’re a better cook than the Bulma I know.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Preening happily, Bulma smiled and sighed, “Oh, well, I’m sure she has plenty of cooks and never really needed to practice as much as I have. For awhile food was scarce and I had to get creative with whatever I could get my hands on - which was not easy when you needed to feed a growing half-Saiyan boy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I remember a lot of soup,” Trunks chuckled. “I got so sick of soup.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You did, but you never complained,” Bulma said fondly, placing a hand on her son’s shoulder. “And I know you went through worse later on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks looked down at his plate, pushing his food around rather than eating it. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You mean with the Zamasu stuff?” Goten asked, remembering his manners enough to at least swallow first and not talk with his mouth full. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma answered when Trunks didn’t seem to want to. “Yes. I never experienced all of that. The original me did.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten tilted his head like a confused puppy. “Huh?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks sighed. “You were too young to remember the finer details of it all, I guess. When Zeno erased my entire world to destroy Zamasu, Whis took Mai and myself to a different past point in my timeline, before Zamasu became immortal, and Beerus destroyed him which allowed my world from that point on to have a second chance. This world is technically an alternate version of an alternate timeline.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So now he’s got his genius, beautiful mother back,” Bulma beamed, “and I have not one but </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... That is so weird,” Goten blinked. “Wait, so there’s two Mais, too?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded. “Yep. There’s the me and her that fought Zamasu together, and there’s the me and her who never had to experience the horror of his existence.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So where’s this other you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He and our Mai live together in an apartment not far from here,” Bulma replied. “They’re pretty happy together. Got my fingers crossed for grandchildren soon.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks rolled his eyes and Goten had to giggle at the absurdity of the situation. Time travel sure had a way of making things incredibly weird and confusing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wow… so there’s actually three Trunks running around, counting mine,” Goten laughed. “What the hell.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Three of me and only one of you,” Trunks noted with a grin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s ‘cause I’m extra special,” Goten grinned back with a sparkle in his eye. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah you are,” Trunks muttered quietly, still smiling, and Bulma watched the whole interaction with poorly hidden glee. When Trunks noticed the openly giddy look on her face, he widened his eyes and mouthed </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop it </span>
  </em>
  <span>but she merely mouthed back </span>
  <em>
    <span>but you two are so cute!</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten was oblivious, however, too busy digging into his first stack of pancakes and moaning with approval. “Holy crap, Trunks - these are amazing!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blushed and gestured to Bulma, who was still visibly squeeing inside. “I learned from the best.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her own breakfast all but forgotten, Bulma rested her chin in her hands and looked from her son to his guest before asking, “So, Goten, how long do you think you’ll be staying?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not really sure,” Goten replied honestly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, since Trunks can take you back to any point after you left, you don’t need to feel rushed,” Bulma noted. “You can stay as long as you’d like and go back as if only a few hours had passed. I know Trunks would be happy if you stuck around for awhile.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks flushed and glared at her from the corner of his eye, hissing, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Mom</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He talks about you all the time,” Bulma went on, ignoring him. “Honestly, besides Vegeta, I’ve heard more about you than anyone else from your timeline.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” Goten asked with a goofy smile, glancing at Trunks who looked like he rather wanted to die at the moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Bulma grinned. “I knew something was up when he asked me to figure out how to make phone calls and texts work between the timelines.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s for emergencies!” Trunks insisted. “It was the responsible thing to do!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, honey,” Bulma cooed. “But it never occurred to you until -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyway,” Trunks interrupted pointedly, plastering an aggressively fake smile on his face, “who wants more juice? I want more juice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks then tore out of his seat and stomped to the refrigerator, and Bulma and Goten shared a knowing look before they each stifled giggles. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>He’s got it bad,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Bulma mouthed to Goten with a conspiratorial wink. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Are you sure? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Goten mouthed back, his heart thudding at the mere suggestion. He wanted it to be true so badly, regardless of the previous night’s vexing events. Bulma simply nodded, fully confident in her assessment, and then Trunks returned with a fresh container of juice and retook his seat, ending the silent conversation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He hoped she was right. But even if she was, where did that leave them? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was starting to really hate time travel. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Over the course of the day, Trunks took Goten flying around the city and gave him a fairly depressing but still fascinating tour. While the world had rebuilt much of itself after the androids’ destruction, the scars were still clear to see and Goten was disturbed by just how massive the differences were between their worlds. He didn’t need to check the census to know that the population here was a fraction of what it should be, or that it would take decades to fully rebuild what had been annihilated. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And to think, this had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> world’s destiny until Trunks had intervened. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took Goten to the valleys where Gohan had once trained him, then to the graves where Goku, Gohan, and later a broken hearted Chi-Chi had been laid to rest. She hadn’t hung on for long after Gohan’s death, Trunks explained, her health declining for no discernible reason other than the devastation she had endured. Goten thought of his mother back home, proud and strong and happily surrounded by a growing family who loved her as much as she loved them, and he made a mental note to hug her a little more tightly than usual when he returned home. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. The two men shared a spar after a late lunch, trading blows as the sun began to set in the sky above them, and Goten wondered why they’d never done this before. It was fascinating, learning the differences and similarities between Trunks and the other version of him that Goten had been sparring with since toddlerhood. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks was less cocky, less lazy, more calculating and precise, exhibiting a discipline that his younger self simply didn’t possess because he’d never had a true reason to. It wasn’t that younger Trunks was a poor fighter or sloppy - he’d just never had to truly fight for his world, never had to bear the burden of being the only line of defense against a seemingly invincible enemy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And neither had Goten, which is why Trunks beat him quite handily. He couldn’t say he minded, though - there was something inherently satisfying about being laid out on his back by Trunks, even if it was in a fighting context and not a sexual one. They were Saiyans, after all, and it was only natural for the two lines to frequently blur into one. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And when nighttime came around, Goten took a turn in the shower after Trunks, feeling tired and sore but in a pleasant way. Dinner with Trunks and Bulma had been as delicious as breakfast had been, and now she was working late in her lab as always and Goten was lost in thought, wondering what the hell he was even doing here and how long he was gonna keep this up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He knew it was stupid to run from his problems the way that he had and he also knew it was unwise for the two timelines to be intermingling as much as they were as of late, but he kept letting his heart make decisions before his head could get a say. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was digging his own grave deeper and deeper with every moment that he spent here, deluding himself into thinking he had any real place in Future Trunks’ life. Fate was against them, and fighting fate always had its consequences. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once he was finished up in the shower, he shut off the water and stepped out into the steamy bathroom, clearing the mirror with his hand and looking at his reflection with a frown. His body bore many marks and bruises from Trunks’ mouth and fingers, mostly healed over thanks to his Saiyan side but still present after more than a day, with a few new ones thrown in fron their spar. His hair was longer than it had been in years, entirely because Trunks liked it that way, and just the mere thought of the man made Goten’s eyes light up so much even he himself noticed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But all it took to kill that light was remembering what he’d done with the younger Trunks the night before, and what Goten had allowed him to do to him. A sense of shame crept over him, cold and painful, and yet his heart ached confusedly. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved</span>
  </em>
  <span> his Trunks and always would, and he’d wanted Trunks to initiate something like that for so long and yet it had all just been so </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span>. From the betrayal of Trunks’ fiancée to the way that Trunks had been so blasé about it and made Goten feel grossly used, not a damn thing about it had been anything to be proud of. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But worst of all still was how low Goten had felt afterwards, when he had realized what he’d done to Future Trunks. Whether they’d agreed to be exclusive or not made no difference - it was still fucked up, and Goten didn’t think he’d feel any better about himself any time soon even if Trunks had already seemed to forgive him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After half drying his shaggy hair and wrapping a towel around his waist, Goten walked out of the bathroom and smiled at the sight of Trunks sitting on the foot of his bed just in boxers, combing out his own damp hair. The strands grazed his collarbones, and Goten couldn’t help but ask, “Do you feel like Rapunzel every time you gotta brush your hair?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned up at him, making no effort to hide the way his eyes drifted down and drank in the sight of Goten mostly naked and still a little wet from his shower. He tossed the comb aside and shrugged, leaning back on his hands. “You get used to it. Plus,” he flared his ki and instantly his hair was completely dried, “at least I don’t have to worry about blow drying it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten grinned, coming closer until he was within arm’s reach. Trunks didn’t hesitate to reach out and take his hand, tugging until Goten was seated on his lap. “Hi,” Goten teased, wrapping his arms around Trunks’ neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey beautiful,” Trunks teased back, and Goten’s skin erupted with goosebumps. Trunks reached up and brushed back some of Goten’s bangs, sighing as he admired him. “You’d think I’d be used to it by now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Used to what?” Goten asked, pushing some of Trunks’ hair behind his ear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How much you make me want you,” Trunks replied. “And you don’t even have to try. All you have to do is look at me and I just…” He swallowed and shook his head, eyes meeting Goten’s. “I can’t stop myself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten blushed under the weight of those words, finding it hard to believe that Trunks truly held such a deep attraction to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And,” Trunks added lowly, hand resting on Goten’s knee and slowly sliding up, “when I think about… </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> touching you last night... it makes me so fucking angry, I could kill him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shivered, that unpleasant sensation of shame creeping back up. “I’m sorry, I never should have let him -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Trunks interrupted him lowly, looking him in the eye and shaking his head. “I don’t blame you, Goten. I understand. But,” his hand slid under the towel and over Goten’s hip, to his ass where he gripped possessively, “he touched you, and you’re not his to touch, are you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten shook his head, heat snaking up his spine. “N-no, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you’re not,” Trunks murmured, leaning in close and pressing his nose in the curve between Goten’s neck and shoulder, breathing him in. Then he kissed his skin there, lightly at first and then hungrily, teeth sinking into his flesh and making Goten moan. “Who do you belong to, Goten?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You,” Goten whined, gripping Trunks’ shoulder hard for balance, his head leaned back to give Trunks better access. “You, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Licking over the fresh new mark on his lover, Trunks hummed and kissed up his throat. “That’s right,” he said as he slipped a hand into Goten’s hair and pulled him closer, looking into his eyes and nudging his nose with his own. “You’re mine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten swallowed, taking a shaky breath and fighting to keep his head just clear enough to ask quietly, “Do you mean that, Trunks? You… you say a lot when you’re fucking.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes darkened as Goten threw his own words from the night before back in his face, but they both knew he was more than justified in doing so. Then Trunks cracked a small smile, glancing down and nodding. “Yeah, I do,” he sighed, looking back up and cupping Goten’s jaw. “But I also lie when I’m scared.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then he kissed Goten hard, and Goten hoped that he was interpreting those words correctly. Either way he melted against the older man, knowing that regardless he was helpless to resist. He was so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> hopelessly in love, and he knew that if Trunks asked him to stay in this world with him, he’d have a horrible time saying no. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> far gone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As they kissed, Trunks gently unraveled the towel around Goten’s hips and found him already fully hard and needy. He took him in hand and began stroking slowly, grinning when Goten gasped softly against his lips and rocked up into his hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Somewhere in his mind, Goten became distantly aware of how much better this was with </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks versus the younger Trunks. This felt right in every sense of the word, like he was exactly where he’d always belonged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re so pretty,” Trunks purred into Goten’s ear, sending a shiver down his spine. “Drive me crazy, baby.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Goten found himself being picked up and tossed down on his back, a lazy smile forming on his lips as Trunks quickly disposed of the towel and of his boxers. Goten opened his legs invitingly and reached out for Trunks when he knelt on the bed, and Trunks surprised him by taking his hand and pressing a soft kiss to his inner wrist. It was tender and sensual and Goten shuddered as Trunks kissed his way up his forearm, finding a sensitive spot at the bend of his elbow that made Goten gasp in surprise. Trunks grinned and then leaned up to kiss his lips, Goten wrapping both his arms and legs around Trunks and pulling him flush against him as they kissed slowly but deeply. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The best parts of nights like these, Goten thought, wasn’t the physical pleasure but rather the connection between them and the feeling of safety and contentment it brought him. Everything felt so natural, so right, and so easy, and whenever Goten was underneath Trunks, for awhile all was right with the world and he could want for nothing. He was complete.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned gently into Goten’s mouth, rocking languidly down against his body, their cocks brushing and rubbing together with every roll of his hips. “Tell me what you want, baby.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This,” Goten replied breathlessly, rising to meet every gentle thrust and craving more friction even while enjoying the lazy pace. “Just this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Trunks whispered, looking down and watching them move together. “You like this, Goten? Gonna come just from this, from our cocks rubbing on each other?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten moaned and yanked Trunks down into a kiss, pouring all the things that he couldn’t say into the touch. It was enough until it wasn’t anymore, until they were both moving faster and the tension growing and Trunks’ hands on him becoming tighter, and before he knew it Goten’s heart was ready to burst. He couldn’t help but break their latest hungry, deep kiss and confess against the other man’s lips, “I love you so fucking much, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten felt Trunks shudder all over and opened his eyes to watch Trunks gaze down at him with a mixture of pain and pleasure and more that he was too scared to try to identify. Then Trunks leaned down and pressed his lips to Goten’s ear, letting out a shaky breath before whispering his name like a prayer. Goten held him close, one hand on his back and the other tangled deep in his long hair, and all the while they moved together increasingly frantically and climbed higher and higher towards their peaks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>“Goten,” Trunks murmured again, breathing hot against his ear and then lifting his head just enough to press their foreheads together. “</span><em><span>My</span></em> <em><span>Goten…</span></em><span>”</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten closed his eyes, giving into the pleasure and letting it take him over, feeling those first lovesparks of ecstasy start to spread through his body from the inside out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then Trunks shocked him to his core. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I love you too</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes flew open, and together both men came hard through the echoes of Trunks’ unexpected words. Goten cried out in a daze, his eyes spilling over with tears that neither of them had expected, and Trunks was quick to bury his face in Goten’s neck and ride out his orgasm there as Goten was left </span>
  <em>
    <span>reeling</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He felt like he’d been hit by lightning and his heartbeat was startlingly irregular, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>Kami</span>
  </em>
  <span> did it feel good. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks had </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> said that. He’d really told him that he loved him. It hadn’t been a dream or a fantasy, and Goten hadn’t asked him to say it, either. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Could it really be true? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks groaned, body draped over Goten’s and eyes closed as he continued to breathe in and out against his neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you mean that? Or was it… heat of the moment, or…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a deep breath, leaning up and pressing a sweet kiss to Goten’s jaw. “I meant it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Tears stung at the back of Goten’s eyes, and it wasn’t long before they made their way down his cheeks. When Trunks felt his shoulders trembling slightly, he opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at Goten with sudden concern. “Goten? You okay? You’re crying.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten tried to answer, but all that came out instead was a soft sob. Trunks gathered him up into his arms, clearly worried, and held him close as he let Goten cry it out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It had been building for a long time, Goten realized. So many years of pining and pretending, of never telling the younger Trunks no regardless of the cost to himself, of shoving down feelings that he couldn’t shake and couldn’t outgrow no matter how hard he tried, and then suddenly along came Future Trunks. He was everything Goten wished his own Trunks could be, so damn easy to fall in love with in his own right, honorable and sweet and humble and so fucking lonely that it just wasn’t fair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten had been falling for him since that first night all those months ago, and barely holding himself together in the meanwhile. He’d been too distracted to really notice but after the disaster that was the previous night and then everything that had followed, Trunks’ unexpected return of those three words had broken the dam and left all of those emotions flooding through Goten and running over. He was powerless to stop it, and he didn’t really want to - it felt good to at last let it all out and allow himself a release he’d needed badly without even knowing it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And Trunks didn’t judge him for it. He simply held him and gave him a shoulder to cry on, running soothing fingers through his hair and giving him what small comforts he could. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>By the time that Goten’s eyes were finally dry, he felt more exhausted than he had in years. He snuggled deeper into Trunks’ arms, eyes closed and voice hoarse as he muttered, “I don’t know what to do, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know,” Trunks replied softly, kissing the top of his head. “Just sleep for now, sweetheart.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten did as he said, drifting off into a deep slumber safe and sound in Trunks’ embrace. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks, by contrast, barely slept a wink. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Goten and Trunks finally have a much needed confrontation, and meanwhile in the other timeline, Future Trunks gets an unexpected visit from an old friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So I think I’ve decided how I wanna end this fic, but I can’t make up my mind between two options so I think I’ll end up writing two alternate endings and then readers can choose whichever one they like most 😂 I think this’ll end up being around ehhhh 14ish chapters? We’ll see, but in any case thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoy this latest serving of angst 😂</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As Trunks restlessly paced the floor of Goten’s empty living room, his cell phone buzzed in his pocket with an incoming call. He grabbed it from his pocket and grimaced - another call from his fiancée that he just didn’t have the will to answer right now. He sent the call to voicemail and pocketed the phone, crossing his arms and resuming his aimless pacing. </p><p> </p><p>Goten had been gone for over 24 hours, and there was no sign of him anywhere. Not a single call or text or so much as a blip of his ki signature anywhere to be found. Trunks knew what that meant, what it <em> had </em> to mean - he had run off with Future Trunks back to his world. </p><p> </p><p>Trunks’ arms dropped to his side and his fists clenched hard, his own ki spiking at the mere thought of his older self. <em> How dare </em> that self righteous fucker walk into his world and take his best friend like this, as if he had any claim to him at all. It was beyond fucked up, and now that Trunks knew about the apparent relationship between Goten and Future Trunks, a lot was starting to make sense. Goten had been suspiciously busy and distracted over the last few months, like he wasn’t quite <em> there </em> even when it was just him and Trunks hanging out. It was little details that nobody else would notice, but Trunks knew Goten better than anyone and he knew damn well when he was hiding something. </p><p> </p><p>He just never would have guessed that the thing he’d been hiding was <em> himself </em>. </p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t that Trunks was completely ignorant of Goten’s feelings towards him. He’d made a point of thinking about it as little as possible for years but yes, deep down he knew that Goten had never stopped liking him as more than only a friend. Goten was a shit liar and he wore his heart on his sleeve even when he tried his best not to, and as a result there were always yearning looks and aborted movements that Trunks would have had to have been blind to miss. </p><p> </p><p>But Trunks only loved him like a brother. He’d always thought of Goten as the brother he’d never had, sometimes feeling far more connected to him than to his own sister, and trying to imagine adding a romantic layer to that had always just been… weird. It made him feel uneasy and confused, and thus he’d shut the door on that idea years ago. Goten had accepted it, or at least he’d thought as much until now. </p><p> </p><p>He’d never expected Goten to be <em> so </em> hung up on him that he’d hop into bed with his alternate self and get what he wanted that way. It was bizarre and unhealthy - it <em> had </em> to be, in Trunks’ estimation - and fuck, when had Goten even planned on telling him about it? And how the hell was a relationship between them supposed to even work? They lived in literal different timelines! </p><p> </p><p>It was insane. Trunks was determined to talk some sense into him, but Goten had to come the fuck home first. </p><p> </p><p><em> Kami </em> he hated that other Trunks. What a fucking prick he was. The minute he was able to get his hands on him he’d beat him to a pulp and show him what happens when someone tries to take his best friend from - </p><p> </p><p>The front door wrenched open suddenly, and Trunks froze mid-pace as he looked up and watched Goten walk into the apartment. Their eyes met and Goten froze next, both men rooted to the spot and momentarily speechless. </p><p> </p><p>Trunks was the first to speak. “Did he come back with you?”</p><p> </p><p>Goten shook his head, visibly swallowing. “No. It’s just me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good.” Then he walked up to Goten and reached past him, shutting the door and looking him in the eye. “Sit down, Ten. Neither of us are going anywhere until we talk this shit out.”</p><p> </p><p>Goten nodded. “Yeah. Okay.”</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>Roughly fifteen minutes later, Trunks and Goten hadn’t said much of anything. They were seated on opposite ends of Goten’s old but comfy couch, the awkwardness in the air unbearably thick, and Trunks could have screamed with frustration. </p><p> </p><p>Instead, he decided to cut to the chase before they both died of old age. </p><p> </p><p>“So, when were you gonna tell me that you’ve been fucking the other me?”</p><p> </p><p>He expected a sheepish response, but instead Goten clenched his jaw and shot back, “I don’t know, when are you gonna tell Lily about how you tried to fuck me?”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks narrowed his eyes. So it was gonna be like that. Fine. </p><p> </p><p>“I asked first.”</p><p> </p><p>“No,” Goten shook his head, fiery eyes meeting Trunks’ own. “No, you know what? Fuck you, Trunks. You don’t get to sit here and demand answers outta me after all the shit you said the other night. If anyone deserves answers it’s me.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, fine - fine. What answers do you want, Goten?”</p><p> </p><p>“How the hell,” Goten began angrily, “could you do what you did if you knew how I felt about you? How I still feel about you?”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks fought to not roll his eyes. “It was sex, Goten, not a fucking marriage proposal.”</p><p> </p><p>“You know how I am, Trunks!” Goten shouted back, dark eyes growing shiny. “I’ve never been like you. I can’t do meaningless sex and you <em> know </em> that. But that’s not even the worst part - the worst part is how you came in here laughing and talking about my feelings for you like it - like it’s some kinda joke, like it doesn’t mean shit. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?”</p><p> </p><p>Truth be told, Trunks barely remembered what he’d said. He had been drunk and angry and shocked and his brain had been nothing but a muddy chorus of <em> mine, mine, mine </em> , <em> my Ten </em>. “.... Listen, I’m… I’m sorry about that. I shouldn’t have said those things. I was just drunk and in shock and -“</p><p> </p><p>“That’s no excuse and you know it.”</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, yeah, but what else do you want me to say?” Trunks asked, a little bit desperately. </p><p> </p><p>“I want to know why you did what you did,” Goten replied, his shaky tone matching the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Still, he held himself together as best as he could. “Why did you try to fuck me if you don’t feel that way about me?”</p><p> </p><p>A prickle of shame inching up towards the back of his skull, Trunks looked away. He didn’t want to explain this, didn’t want to even acknowledge it, but he knew he owed Goten at least that much. “I… the other day Lily took me out shopping, to pick stuff for the wedding registry. I told her it was silly and that obviously she can buy literally anything she wants once we’re married but she insisted it’s important and part of the wedding experience, so whatever, I went along with it. And at some point we ended up arguing over tablecloths of all things, because she liked this fucking hideous burnt orange tablecloth with chickens all over it - fucking <em> chickens </em> - and it hit me out of nowhere that this was actually real and actually happening, and that I’m about to marry a woman and only sleep with her for the rest of my life and eat dinner off of an ugly chicken tablecloth. I’m only 26 and I’m about to make the biggest commitment of my life, and not only that but I run the biggest company in the world and I’m under so much pressure every waking moment of my life from someone, whether it’s my mother or my father or the board of directors or my almost-wife, and I just - I panicked.”</p><p> </p><p>“In the middle of the store?” Goten asked quietly. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but I didn’t say a fucking word because Kami forbid the CEO of Capsule Corp causes a scene in public,” Trunks sneered. “I spiraled hard, Ten. But I felt like I couldn’t talk to anyone because if I talked to my mom she’d just smother me and if I talked to my dad he’d just tell me to dump Lily and quit Capsule Corp and be a real Saiyan or some shit like that, and I didn’t wanna unload on you because I always do that and you deal with enough of my shit as it is.”</p><p> </p><p>Goten blinked. “... Listen I understand what you’re saying, but how did that lead to wanting to cheat on Lily with me?”</p><p> </p><p>“... Because instead of dealing with my real problems,” Trunks sighed, “I decided that I was just freaking out because of the whole ‘about to only have sex with one person for the rest of my life’ thing, so I figured the best way to fix that was to screw around while I still could.”</p><p> </p><p>“... But… why with me?” Goten asked, features pained. </p><p> </p><p>Trunks’ eyes softened, locking with Goten’s as he replied, “You’re… you’re <em> you </em> , Ten. You’re my safe place, you know? You always have been. I can always count on you to be there for me and understand me when <em> I </em> don’t even understand me.”</p><p> </p><p>Goten nodded, looking away. “But that’s not fair, Trunks. Not when you knew how I felt.”</p><p> </p><p>His sense of shame now full-blown and settling deep into his heart, Trunks nodded and looked away as well, staring down at his hands. “Yeah. I see that now. I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>They were each quiet for a few moments until Goten sniffled and broke the silence. “It feels like I’ve been in love with you since I could breathe. I’ve never known what it’s like to <em> not </em> love you. It’s just… second nature. Always has been, same as fighting and eating. I’m pretty sure I was born to love you.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks looked at him, eyes pained. “<em> Ten </em>…”</p><p> </p><p>“But I made peace with that, as much as I could,” Goten went on. “I knew you’d never love me back like that so I just… tried to move on. And then, earlier this year, <em> he </em> came to visit. I saw the same loneliness in his eyes that I see when I look in the mirror, so I figured, hey… might as well try. He didn’t grow up with me, so he wouldn’t see me as a brother - I might as well have been a stranger to him.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks frowned, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. He hated everything about this. </p><p> </p><p>“Turned out he’d loved someone who didn’t love him back, too,” Goten continued. “The first time it happened it wasn’t serious. I told myself it didn’t mean anything and that it was just a way to work you out of my system.” He swallowed and ran a hand through his messy, longer-than-usual hair. “Instead I ended up falling in love.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks paled. “You’re <em> in love </em> with him?”</p><p> </p><p>Finally, the tears that Goten had been holding at bay managed to trickle out. “Trunks,” he confessed, “I love him so much it hurts.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks felt a lot of things in that moment, upon hearing those words. Jealousy and slight anger for starters, but they weren’t the half of it. Most of all, to his surprise, he was left feeling… <em> bereft </em>. Like he’d just lost a piece of himself that he’d never get back, something he never realized he couldn’t live without until it was gone. </p><p> </p><p>And that made him feel like a monster. Was he really that selfish and cold hearted that he’d feel so saddened and wronged by no longer being the sole object of his best friend’s unreturned affections? Why would he <em> want </em> Goten to pine over him and never love anyone as much as him when Trunks had no intentions of ever loving him back in that way? </p><p> </p><p>Trunks’ eyes suddenly widened fractionally and shifted to look at Goten as if for the first time. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Oh no.  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Maybe the person that he had always been meant to be with had been right in front of him all along. Maybe he really <em> could </em> love Goten back, if he’d ever bothered to try. Maybe he already did, and that was why Future Trunks’ involvement with Goten had inspired such sudden possessiveness and panic within him. And maybe that was why he felt so shattered right now in the wake of Goten’s confession. </p><p> </p><p>Too bad it meant fuck all in the end. He was too late. </p><p> </p><p>Trunks dropped his head into his hands. His own eyes began to sting with quickly gathering tears, his usually trusty emotional dam now split to pieces and everything hitting him all at once. He’d hurt Goten and missed his chance to see if they could ever be what Goten had yearned for his entire life. He’d betrayed Lily and cheated on her when she’d never been anything but loving and supportive at every turn in their relationship. The two people in the world that he loved most outside of his family, and he’d treated them both like shit and made a mockery of their devotion to him. </p><p> </p><p>He knew better than this. He’d been raised better than this. Even his father was better than this. How had he gone so wrong? </p><p> </p><p>He didn’t realize how openly he was crying until he felt himself being pulled into warm, strong arms. Even now, after all that he’d done, Goten was still there for him and comforting him. Trunks didn’t deserve him, he was sure of it. </p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry, Ten,” Trunks mumbled into Goten’s shoulder, eyes squeezed shut and hands gripping Goten’s shoulders tight. “I’m so sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Shh,” Goten hushed him, running a soothing palm up and down Trunks’ back. “Listen… I fucked up too. I should have been more honest a long time ago. Neither of us handled any of this very well, I don’t think.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t lose you,” Trunks replied, lifting his head up and startling Goten with how scared and sad his blue eyes were. “I can’t.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” Goten smiled gently, “I’m not going anywhere. You’re not gonna lose me. We’re always gonna need each other, Trunks - we both know that.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks inhaled shakily as Goten reached up to brush away his tears. His mind was racing, his heart pounding, and he didn’t know what the hell he was doing but he began to lean in closer and Goten didn’t pull away. Trunks didn’t stop until his eyes closed and he could feel Goten’s breath on his lips. </p><p> </p><p>They stayed like that for a moment, just breathing each other in and neither quite willing to take the next step or draw away. But Trunks was the first to break, instinct driving him rather than reason, and he kissed Goten with a tenderness that none of their previous rare kisses had contained. </p><p> </p><p>It felt good, Trunks thought. It wasn’t fireworks and lightning the way movies and novels described, but he couldn’t complain. There was no one in the world that Trunks was more comfortable with - they’d shared one body countless times, for fuck’s sake - and kissing him felt… nice. Like something he could grow to like a whole lot more, if he had the chance. </p><p> </p><p>But it wasn’t long before Goten pulled away with a sigh. “I really wish you’d done that a year ago,” he said sadly, and Trunks saw the truth written plain as day in Goten’s dark eyes. </p><p> </p><p>“You really do love him,” Trunks murmured. Goten nodded, and Trunks asked, “There’s nothing I can do, is there?”</p><p> </p><p>“Trunks… I’m pretty sure you’re only doing this and kissing me because for the first time you’re afraid someone might take me away from you. And yeah, before all of this had happened, I would have been ecstatic and I probably would have ripped your clothes off by now and we’d be fucking right here on this couch, but…” Goten shook his head, looking Trunks in the eye. “I’m finally starting to realize that I deserve better than that. And so do you, Trunks. I don’t think you know <em> what </em> you want, but you owe it to yourself and Lily to figure it out.”</p><p> </p><p>He was right. Trunks knew it, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. Then again, he supposed he’d brought it all on himself. </p><p> </p><p>He extricated himself from Goten’s arms, taking a deep breath and leaning his elbows on his knees as he sat there on the couch contemplating his entire existence. He had a lot to think about and a lot to work through, and a lot of confessing and apologizing to do to Lily. </p><p> </p><p>Not to mention figuring out whether he still wanted to be with her or not, and that was assuming she’d want anything to do with him once she found out what he’d done. </p><p> </p><p>“Wow,” Trunks muttered, dragging both palms over his face. “Really fucked everything over this time, didn’t I.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah,” Goten agreed. “But like I said before… it wasn’t just you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know what to do,” Trunks admitted, shaking his head. </p><p> </p><p>“You’ll figure it out,” Goten assured him. “You always do. And I’ll be here to help you whenever you need it.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks turned to smile at his best friend, his eyes sad but relieved. “I don’t deserve you, Ten.”</p><p> </p><p>“No,” Goten agreed, smiling back and bumping his shoulder, “you don’t. But hey - I haven’t loved you my whole life ‘cause you’re perfect. I love you because you’re you, flaws and all. For better or worse. And that’ll never change.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks’ smile widened slowly and became a lot more genuine. Maybe, somehow, things really would work out in the end. If Goten still believed in him and loved him after all that he’d done, then perhaps there was hope for him yet. </p><p> </p><p>It seemed impossible to hope for both of them to find happiness in the end, but it wouldn’t be the first time they’d faced insurmountable odds and won. Hope, however, wouldn’t be enough this time. </p><p> </p><p>It was time for Trunks to put in the work and start cleaning up the mess he’d made. </p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>Goten felt quite confident and proud of himself until Trunks left his apartment and the inevitable doubt began to set in. He’d pushed Trunks away and refused his advances because he was in love with Future Trunks and wanted to be with him, but they were still separated by time and space and that wasn’t changing any time soon. Had he just given up his chance at a relationship with his own Trunks for no reason? Would he end up alone in the end after all, still doomed to love Trunks from afar and never get to truly <em> have </em> him, doubly so?</p><p> </p><p>He didn’t sleep at all that night. </p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, in another world, Future Trunks was sitting outside on the Capsule Corp grounds and smiling softly as a squirrel nibbled at a nut he offered from his hand. It was a pleasantly cool day and the sun was shining, and Trunks always  found it relaxing to be outside and enjoy the sounds and sights of nature. There usually wasn’t much more to see this deep into the city besides birds and squirrels, but that didn’t matter. It was home, and the animals’ presence was a reminder that the world was at peace and still healing itself. </p><p> </p><p>He was gently scratching the back of the squirrel’s head when a raspy voice rang out from behind him and caught his attention. </p><p> </p><p>“Good afternoon, Trunks. It’s been awhile.”</p><p> </p><p>He turned his head and raised his brows in surprise. “Baba?”</p><p> </p><p>The old fortune teller floated towards him on her crystal ball, nodding to him with a smile. “The one and only. How have you been, child?”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks stood up and walked to meet her, replying, “I’ve been well, thank you. Has something happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, something is always happening, is it not?” she asked with a wry smile. “But if you’re asking if I’m here because of bad news, then I’m pleased to say the answer is no.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s a relief,” he smiled. “Are you here to see my mom? She’s in her lab working but I can go get her.”</p><p> </p><p>“That won’t be necessary,” Baba replied. “You are the reason why I’m here. I am escorting a certain young man from Otherworld who has earned 24 hours in the land of the living and requested to spend his time with you.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks blinked. Could… could that mean… </p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Trunks.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks froze. The deep, familiar voice came from behind him, and his jaw dropped and hung open dumbly before he slowly turned around. His eyes landed first on a broad, orange and blue covered chest, and then slowly rose to meet big, deep brown eyes and a scarred face that lived only in his dreams and memories. </p><p> </p><p>“... Gohan?” His voice came out small and shaky, almost child-like in its wonder. </p><p> </p><p>Gohan smiled broadly, looking Trunks over. “Wow, look at you, kid. You need a haircut.”</p><p> </p><p>Trunks laughed, the sound bubbling out of him like air, and then he threw himself at Gohan and hugged him like he’d never hugged anyone ever before. Gohan laughed and wrapped his arms around him - <em> both </em> arms, Trunks noted with a slight sob, as Gohan was whole again - and Trunks felt his feet leave the ground as Gohan picked him up and spun them around as if Trunks were still just a kid and half Gohan’s height. </p><p> </p><p>Smiling at the joyful reunion, Baba turned and began to float away as she told Gohan, “Remember, 24 hours. I will be back to collect you tomorrow.”</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you, Baba,” Gohan called after her, just before she vanished. He then set Trunks back down on his feet and smiled brightly. “Think you can fill me in on everything I’ve missed in 24 hours?”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know,” Trunks replied, wiping at the happy tears streaming down his cheeks. “But I’ll try. I can’t believe that you’re really here. Fuck, I can’t stop crying.”</p><p> </p><p>Gohan laughed and pulled Trunks back in for another hug, and Trunks melted into the embrace. It had been so, so long. 21 years, in fact, but Gohan still looked and smelled and felt exactly the same as he had all those years ago. </p><p> </p><p>And oh, how Trunks loved him with every fiber of his being, every bit as much as he had at the age of 14. </p><p> </p><p>24 hours wasn’t nearly enough, but he was sure as hell gonna make the most of it. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Future Trunks &amp; Future Gohan find closure.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well 👉🏻👈🏻 this isn’t QUITE where I’d planned this chapter going buttttt here we are and I hope you guys won’t hate it 😂 personally it’s one of my fave chapters thus far and I think it was very needed, so I hope you guys will agree 😂 thank you guys as always for being amazing!! Your comments and feedback make my whole week 😭</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bulma was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water when Trunks walked inside with a haloed and very much real Gohan. She dropped the glass and it shattered noisily on the floor at her feet, but it was only seconds before her eyes filled with tears and she ran to throw her arms around her old friend. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>For the rest of the day, Trunks could hardly wipe the smile from his face. In many ways it was almost as if Gohan had never left, considering how easy it was to adjust to his presence and how effortless the conversations flowed. Bulma fed him a hearty lunch and he wolfed it all down as enthusiastically as he had when he was alive, and more than once Trunks had to pinch himself to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan told them about Otherworld and assured them that their other lost loved ones were doing well - Goku, Chi-Chi, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo. Even Bulma’s parents had found the others after they were killed in the attack that had damaged Capsule Corp, and Bulma started crying all over again when Gohan pulled her into a hug that her mother and father had asked him to give her on their behalf. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks didn’t ask about his own father, knowing full well that this timeline’s Vegeta had never redeemed himself the way the other version of him had. Trunks knew where he was, and he didn’t like to think about it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At the end of the lunch, Gohan asked Trunks and Bulma to tell him what all he’d missed, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> was a conversation that lasted hours. They took a walk through the city as they filled Gohan in on everything from Cell and the Androids’ fate to Goku Black and Zamasu, and while it was a lot to take in, Gohan was quite experienced in absorbing significant amounts of seemingly impossible information. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Bulma gushed about how strong Trunks had become and boasted of his mid-battle ascension to Super Saiyan Rage, a form unique to Trunks thus far, Gohan stared at Trunks with pride and amazement. Trunks could only blush and look down, never really having been one to know how to handle such things without being embarrassed. But he looked up when he felt Gohan’s shoulder nudge his own, his former mentor winking as he said, “I knew I was leaving Earth in good hands. You’re amazing, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ belly fluttered wildly, and that was when he knew nothing had changed. 21 years and Gohan still held his heart in his hands, and he didn’t even know it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually Bulma had no choice but to return to Capsule Corp and take a few business calls, but she made the two men swear to come back by 6 for dinner and not be even a second late. They promised and then took to the skies, Gohan proposing a good old spar in the wilderness to see for himself just how strong Trunks had grown. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They returned to the same valley they’d trained in together two decades earlier, and suddenly Trunks felt like a lost teenager all over again. As much as he had matured and experienced in his years without Gohan, all it took was one grin from Gohan as he fell into a fighting stance and Trunks was a pile of awkward, lovesick goo. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A twinge of guilt pulled at his heart, Goten’s sweet face flashing in his mind’s eye, but Trunks didn’t chastise himself. After all, Gohan was still dead and that wasn’t going to change. He would love Gohan forever, and it didn’t mean he loved Goten any less. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t hold back, kid,” Gohan demanded before they got started. “I haven’t been slacking in Otherworld, so don’t worry about me. Whatever you’ve got, I can handle it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Shifting into his own stance, Trunks nodded and grinned back. “All right. You asked for it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They took off and met in a resounding clash that made the ground quiver beneath them, and that was just in their base forms. It wasn’t long before they each powered up and took things to the next level, taking each other on like it had only been yesterday when they’d last traded blows, and Trunks found it exhilarating in a way that nothing else quite could be. He was excited to show off to his teacher what he’d learned, but it turned out Gohan hadn’t been kidding about not slacking in Otherworld. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Gohan let out a roar and powered up to Super Saiyan 3, Trunks had frozen with his mouth hanging open and thought briefly that he was done for, but then his strategic mind kicked in and he smirked. Gohan made quite a sight like that, all long golden hair and fierce teal eyes, but Trunks knew that the form was an immense drain on energy and that if he kept Gohan busy long enough he’d have no choice but to drop back down to 2. So that was exactly what he did, leading Gohan on a merry chase throughout the sky and keeping him on the offensive, and the very second that he reverted back to SS2, Trunks delivered a Final Flash to Gohan’s chest that sent him hurtling to the ground and returning to his base form. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks landed next to him with a grin on his face, full of pride in himself as he asked, “So, did I live up to your expectations?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan laughed, groaning as he laid in the crater he’d made in the ground when he hit it. “Not bad, Trunks. Not bad at all.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks reached out a hand to help Gohan up, and after he pulled him to his feet Trunks replied, “I’d have shown you the Rage form but I can’t do it without the right trigger.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan nodded, brushing the dirt off of his hands. “Well, let’s hope you don’t need that trigger for a long time.” Then he paused and looked Trunks over, a small smile tugging at his lips as he added quietly, “I can’t get over how much you’ve changed, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blushed and looked down, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Well, you know… 20 years will do that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s more than just that,” Gohan said, tilting his head and eyeing Trunks like he was a puzzle he was trying to solve. “I can’t put my finger on it. I wish I had more than just a day with you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ heart thudded in his chest. “Me too,” he replied softly - too softly, maybe - but they both snapped out of it when Trunks’ phone rang noisily. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That would be my mother,” he smiled. “We’d better head back before she kills us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good call,” Gohan nodded. “Wouldn’t wanna die all over again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks snorted and they blasted off into the air. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Later that night, after a no small amount of hemming and hawing from both Trunks and Bulma, Gohan had convinced them that he didn’t need nor want his own guest room to sleep in and that in fact he didn’t even want to sleep, really, considering it would be a waste of his 24 hours. In the end Trunks set up a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor in his own room and he and Gohan laid there once the lights were out, the two of them agreeing to stay up talking until sleep took one or both of them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But really, Trunks couldn’t have slept even if he’d wanted to. Gohan was </span>
  <em>
    <span>right there</span>
  </em>
  <span> laying next to him in his room - shirtless, even - and Trunks was a nervous wreck. Gohan had showered after their spar and now he smelled like a mixture of  Trunks’ soap and shampoo and </span>
  <em>
    <span>himself</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and Trunks wasn’t sure how the hell he was supposed to handle this without making a fool of himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tried to manage the situation by keeping the conversation going, eventually getting out his phone and asking Gohan if he wanted to see his family from the other timeline. Gohan was apprehensive at first but his curiosity won out in the end, and Trunks smiled as he showed him a picture of the other Gohan smiling with a happy Videl and preteen Pan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan’s eyes widened. “That’s… me?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure is. And your wife Videl and daughter Pan. The other you became a scholar and works at a university.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan blinked, staring at the image like it couldn’t possibly be real. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Wow</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Huh. She’s pretty, that Videl. And Pan… wow. A daughter. She looks a lot like my mother.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded. “Pan and Chi-Chi seem pretty close. And she adores your dad, of course.” Trunks then scrolled through a few more pictures, fighting a blush as he turned the phone to face Gohan again. “And this is your little brother Goten and my little sister Bulla. The blonde girl with them is Marron, Krillin and 18’s daughter.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I have a brother? Holy shit,” Gohan smiled, taking the phone for a closer look. “Oh man. He looks just like me. And your sister - she’s like a clone of Bulma.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah. Spoiled as all hell too,” Trunks rolled his eyes. “Apple of my father’s eye, apparently.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan chuckled. “What about Goten? What’s he like?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ throat grew uncomfortably tight for a quick second but he swallowed past it. “He’s pretty great. Him and the other me are best friends. He teaches kids martial arts and helps take care of the farm with your dad. And he’s a great cook, like your mom. Smart like you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan tried to zoom into a part of the picture but, being very much unfamiliar with smart phones and how they worked, ended up scrolling further down the camera roll instead by accident and landing on a very, </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> different sort of photo. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan’s eyes widened and his face turned beet red. “Oh, that’s - I - I didn’t mean to, um.” Gohan then literally threw the phone at Trunks, who took it and looked at the screen and immediately died a thousand deaths inside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It just had to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> picture of Goten, the post-sex one where he was sprawled out in bed wearing nothing but sweat and come and a blissed-out grin. Trunks quickly exited out of the picture and tossed his phone aside as if it had burned him, his own face the color of a strawberry as he stammered, “That - uh - s-sorry about that. I should have… deleted… um…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The room was uncomfortably quiet for a few long, terrible moments. Then Gohan asked, “Was that Goten?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks cringed. “.... Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So you and him…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks closed his eyes, wishing the blankets beneath him would wrap around him and pull him into an abyss. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t that… I mean, you’re in two different timelines.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is it serious?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was no judgment or anger in Gohan’s tone, only curiosity. Trunks tried to overcome the lingering embarrassment as he replied, “It wasn’t at first, but yeah. Now it is.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How did it start?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks swallowed. He saw no point in lying or evading the question. “My mom wanted me to visit the other timeline a little further into the future, to see how things turned out for everyone. So I came for a visit and met Goten as a 25 year old.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And sparks flew, huh?” Gohan asked, and Trunks opened his eyes to find Gohan grinning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He blushed. “Well… I guess. It’s complicated. He was sort of… in love with the other me. But Other Me didn’t feel the same. Goten was pretty upfront, came up to me during a party and we talked and… yeah. One thing led to another.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan’s brows furrowed. “Sounds like he was just using you as a stand in for Other You.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ blush deepened. He couldn’t just come out and say that Goten had initially been used as a stand in too, could he? “We were both lonely. It was a mutual thing,” Trunks shrugged eventually. “It didn’t take long for both of us to get attached.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan was quiet for a moment, studying Trunks’ face in the dim light. “You love him, don’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, letting out a deep breath. “Yeah.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What about him? Does he feel the same?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded. “And we’ve already made a mess out of everything. Other Me caught us in Goten’s apartment and they got into a fight. Ended up bringing Goten here for a little bit to let things cool off. He went home a few days ago, so… that’s where we’re at now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Shit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Trunks chuckled mirthlessly. “I don’t know what to do.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Silence fell for a few moments. Gohan’s tone was thoughtful and quiet when he soon asked, “Well… what if you moved there?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks turned his head and stared at Gohan like he was crazy. “To the other timeline?” When Gohan nodded, Trunks laughed. “I can’t do that, Gohan. You know that. You left me in charge of protecting this world and I’m not gonna just fuck off to another timeline because I fell in love.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan’s eyes softened. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Trunks</span>
  </em>
  <span>. There are two of you here in this timeline, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks paused. “.... Yes, but -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then I don’t see why you can’t do it,” Gohan shrugged. “You wouldn’t be leaving this world unprotected, and you could visit Bulma whenever you wanted with the time machine. Maybe even bring </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> to visit you. I bet she’d like that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks stared at him in disbelief. “Have you lost it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Trunks</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Gohan sat up, and the intensity that he stared at Trunks with prompted him to sit up as well. “Listen to me. Yes, I left you to protect our world when I died, but I also wanted you to be happy. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> you to be happy, present tense. You’ve been through so much, Trunks. More than I could have ever dreamed of back then. You’ve done your part. You deserve to be happy now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head, looking away. “But I failed, Gohan. Our entire timeline was erased because of my failures.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan raised a brow. “You were literally fighting </span>
  <em>
    <span>an immortal god</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter, failure is failure,” Trunks muttered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan surprised him then by chuckling. “You sound like Vegeta.” When Trunks didn’t reply, fidgeting instead with the blanket in his lap, Gohan murmured, “Hey, look at me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks did as he was told, and he couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful Gohan looked. He was so close, close enough to touch, but Trunks wouldn’t dare give into that temptation. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You have nothing to be ashamed of. I had high hopes for you and you have far exceeded every single one. I can’t tell you what to do or how to live your life, but just know - I’d rather you leave this world and be happy than stay and be miserable. Especially not because of me and because you feel like you have to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Having never allowed himself to truly entertain the notion of permanently moving timelines, the idea of actually doing so suddenly struck him and felt real for the first time, and all at once he was painfully aware of just how desperately he wanted it. He didn’t want to leave his mother and he loved his own world too, but like Gohan had said, he could visit - his time machine would make sure of that. And the idea of seeing Goten every day, getting to see Vegeta whenever he wanted and train with him, and watch Bulla and Pan grow up the rest of the way… his heart </span>
  <em>
    <span>ached</span>
  </em>
  <span> with how badly he wanted it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then a warm hand unexpectedly cupped his cheek, and Trunks gasped softly as he looked up and found Gohan a little closer, gazing at him with so much affection it nearly hurt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve given this world </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks,” Gohan told him quietly. “It’s okay to take a little bit for yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks stared at him, unconsciously leaning into the warmth of his hand and his heart starting to race in his chest. They were close, too close, and heat was creeping up Trunks’ neck and starting to color his face, but Gohan wasn’t going anywhere. His thumb traced unexpectedly over Trunks’ cheekbone, and Trunks’ breath hitched, his eyes falling to Gohan’s lips, and that was the moment his brain stopped working and his heart took over just long enough to cause what happened next. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a little bit for himself, as Gohan had advised, and softly kissed his mentor and first love. It was chaste and sweet, both Gohan and Trunks’ eyes falling shut as their lips brushed, but then Trunks realized what he was doing and sprang back with a horrified gasp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh God,” Trunks muttered, eyes huge and cheeks red, panic rising rapidly. “I’m sorry, I don’t - I don’t know why I -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But Gohan wasn’t having any of that, thankfully. He shook his head and pulled his former student closer, wrapping an arm around his waist and not letting him run away. “Shh, Trunks, it’s okay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No it’s not,” Trunks insisted, blushing harder and trying to squirm away. “I’m an idiot and I didn’t mean to -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan shut him up by yanking him forward for another kiss, Trunks freezing in utter shock. The kiss was a little firmer than the first but just as fleeting, Gohan soon pulling away and telling a stunned Trunks, “I mean it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It’s okay</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I know you have feelings for me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks paled. “You do?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan smiled at him, as if he were simply adorable. “I’ve always known. I thought it was just a harmless crush back then,” he shrugged, “but being around you all day today and seeing the way you look at me and the way you blush… Trunks, I’d have to be blind not to see it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly embarrassed and wishing he could disappear all over again, Trunks’ eyes fell and he tried to shrink away. “I’m sorry. I thought I was better at hiding it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Gohan lifted Trunks’ chin with his thumb and forefinger, making him look him in the eye. “Don’t be sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks shook his head. “I know you don’t feel that way about me. I was just a kid back then and I - this is the first time you’ve seen me in 21 years.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“.... Not exactly,” Gohan replied, to Trunks’ confusion. Smiling a little sheepishly, Gohan admitted, “Sometimes in Otherworld, they’ll let us peek in on our loved ones. It’s never for long and it’s not very often, because they say it’s easy to get lost and become obsessed, but… yeah. Every time I’ve had the chance, I looked in on you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If Trunks became any more visibly shocked, he might just physically morph into the gaping fish he currently closely resembled. “... When?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I saw you defeat Babidi and Dabura. Then I saw you helping rebuild West City. I, um,” he paused, reaching behind his head nervously, “I saw you with Mai.” When Trunks flushed with horror, Gohan laughed, “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You two were just on a picnic. It was sweet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That had been only a few days before they’d broken up, Trunks noted. What he was hearing was so surreal, he had no idea what the hell to think. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The point is,” Gohan added, “I haven’t seen you as a child for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> long time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ mouth went dry. Could… could Gohan </span>
  <em>
    <span>possibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> mean… </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can give you what you want,” Gohan murmured, reaching out and pushing a stray lock of Trunks’ hair behind his ear. “If you’ll have me. If you won’t, I’ll understand.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Dizzy from those utterly flooring words and Gohan’s gentle touches, Trunks’ mouth opened and closed several times before he finally remembered how to speak. “Not if… not if it’s just… pity, or -“</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan chuckled. “It’s not pity, Trunks. I wouldn’t offer it if I wasn’t gonna enjoy it too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“This can't be real,” Trunks muttered, but Gohan only smiled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s real. I’m real. You can touch me if you want.” As if to prove his words, Gohan took Trunks’ trembling hands and placed them on his bare chest. Trunks didn’t expect Gohan to shiver a little at just that little bit of contact and then admit on a whisper, “It’s been… a long time since I’ve been touched, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ heart skipped a beat. He slid his palms over Gohan’s broad, lightly scarred pecs, then let them roam up to his shoulders and back down again. He was so warm and sensitive, letting out a hiss when Trunks’ fingers grazed his nipples, and once he reached Gohan’s abs Trunks pulled his hands away and asked, “You sure about this, Gohan?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan nodded and tossed aside the cover on his lap, and Trunks’ eyes flitted down and widened when he saw Gohan already half-hard through his boxers. “Please, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing Gohan utter those words so low and velvety set Trunks’ blood on fire. He met Gohan’s gaze and then crept forward, sliding out from under his blanket and climbing on to Gohan’s lap. Gohan stared up at him as if in awe as Trunks straddled him, the younger man reaching down and taking the hem of his shirt before quickly pulling it over his head and tossing it aside. Then, both of them now bare from the waist up, Trunks leaned forward and took Gohan’s face in his hands and Gohan gripped Trunks’ hips as their lips met in a passionate kiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks had never once thought he would get to experience this, not in any timeline or any world, but here he was in his mentor’s lap and in his arms, their lips moving together in a kiss so tender and so deep it nearly made him cry. He felt Gohan’s hands move up and over his back, one arm wrapping around his waist to pull him closer while the other slowly sunk into Trunks’ hair, and that was when their lips parted and tongues brushed together for the first time. Gohan groaned and broke the kiss, admitting, “This is gonna be over fast.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled and assured him, “We’ve got all night.” Then he brought his palms to Gohan’s shoulders and gently pushed him. “Why don’t you lay back and let me take the edge off?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan went down happily, lying back in the nest of blankets and sighing as Trunks brought his lips to Gohan’s neck. They only had tonight, and Trunks was determined to taste every inch of him that he could while he had the chance. Gohan smelled and </span>
  <em>
    <span>felt</span>
  </em>
  <span> so good and he was so responsive, every touch and press of Trunks’ mouth and fingers on his skin making him moan softly or mewl contentedly. He felt Gohan </span>
  <em>
    <span>shake</span>
  </em>
  <span> when he wrapped his lips around his nipple and reached down to palm him through his underwear, now fully hard and surely aching under his touch, and Trunks had to suppress a moan of his own. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He</span>
  </em>
  <span> did that to Gohan. Gohan was hard and aching for </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t tease him, not like this. Trunks swiftly worked his way down until he was knelt between Gohan’s legs, and then he pulled his boxers off and swallowed hard at the sight of the older man naked and aroused before him. He’d fantasized about this more times than he could ever count but the real thing was so, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so</span>
  </em>
  <span> much better. Gohan’s eyes were heavy lidded and fixed on Trunks, his chest heaving with heavy breaths, muscular thighs parted and cock proud and hard, already leaking at the tip. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks licked his lips and wrapped his hand around the length, stroking slowly as he told him, “You’re gonna fuck me tonight, Gohan. I’m gonna take every inch of this inside me,” he declared lowly as Gohan’s breath hitched and cock twitched in his hand, “but first I’m gonna suck you off and swallow everything you’ve got.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And with that, Trunks opened his mouth and slowly sucked that cock down until it nudged his throat. Gohan cried out almost like he’d been punched, one of his hands flying to Trunks’ hair while the other gripped the pillow beneath his head. Trunks moaned around him, drawing back and running his tongue from the base to the tip and then swirling it around before taking it all back in and bobbing his head up and down. He glanced up and found Gohan gazing down at him with pure heat in his heavy eyes, sweat trickling down his abs as they flexed and trembled, and then Gohan threw his head back and gasped and warmth hit Trunks’ tongue. He hadn’t been quite ready for it just yet, but he swallowed what he could and didn’t mind the rest that landed on his face and chin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He left it where it was, pressing a kiss to Gohan’s inner thigh before rising back up and smiling down at his master. Gohan’s arm was thrown over his forehead and a dazed little smile was on his lips, and Trunks bit his lip at what a gorgeous sight he made. Then Gohan let his arm flop to the side and he looked up at Trunks only to flush all over when he saw the state of his face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh… sorry,” he said sheepishly, but Trunks only shrugged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t mind it,” Trunks said, maintaining eye contact as he wiped his chin with his thumb and then slipped the digit into his mouth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck,” Gohan groaned, sitting up and pulling Trunks closer. “Dirty little thing, aren’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks moaned softly to the affirmative, and to his delight, Gohan took it upon himself to reach out and wipe off the rest, offering his fingers to Trunks’ lips after. Trunks happily accepted and drew each one into his mouth, licking and sucking Gohan’s fingers clean as the older man stared hungrily. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Taste good, Trunks?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded with a groan, opening his eyes and meeting Gohan’s gaze as he finished his work. Once his fingers were clean, Trunks leaned forward and murmured just before capturing his lips, “You taste amazing, Master.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That one earned a little gasp out of Gohan’s mouth but Trunks swallowed it down, grinning into the kiss. Little did Gohan or anyone else in existence know, the first time a young teenage Trunks had gotten himself off to a fantasy, it was of himself on his knees before Gohan, looking up and begging sweetly for his cock and calling him </span>
  <em>
    <span>Master</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He remembered coming blindingly hard and fast and then descending into an embarrassed state of guilt afterwards, but now he was getting a taste of the real thing for the first - and albeit last - time. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before Gohan seized Trunks by his hips and flipped him down on his back, looming over him after and staring down at him like he was a feast laid out just for Gohan. When Gohan’s eyes made their way down to Trunks’ hips, they narrowed at the unwelcome sight of the boxers he still somehow wore, and that was the only warning Trunks got before Gohan quite literally tore the thin fabric from his body. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s better,” Gohan growled before swooping back down to crash their lips together. Trunks moaned into the kiss, desperate to be touched and feel something now that the focus was on him, and to his relief Gohan didn’t hesitate to wrap his hand around his cock and start rubbing slowly up and down. Trunks groaned appreciatively, gently thrusting up into Gohan’s fist and nipping at his lower lip when he broke their kiss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you mean what you said before?” Gohan asked, and Trunks opened his eyes and gave him a quizzical look. “Before you went down on me. You said…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned lazily. “I said you could fuck me. Yeah, ‘course I meant it. I’ve wanted that forever.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan shuddered, still stroking his cock and feeling his own stir back to life. “Will you… show me how?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks gave him a warm smile and pulled him down for a kiss, then murmured, “Get the lube, my top left drawer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan scrambled over to retrieve said item so fast, Trunks couldn’t help but laugh. When he returned, Trunks pulled him back down to his side and readjusted himself, spreading his legs a little wider for Gohan’s sake and telling him, “Pour some on your fingers. Start with one, but you don’t have to go super slow - I’m used to this. Then I’ll tell you when to add a second finger.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan nodded, getting his fingers wet and wearing a very serious expression. “Isn’t there something I gotta aim for?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned and nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you once you get going. But don’t make me come - I wanna come on your cock.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan growled lowly. “Trunks, your fucking mouth…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” Trunks grinned, taking Gohan’s wrist and guiding his hand where he wanted it. “Open me up, get me ready for you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan groaned and got to work, carefully sliding a lone finger inside his former student and swallowing hard at how warm and tight he was. He buried his face into Trunks’ neck and kissed and licked at his skin, Trunks groaning and adjusting quickly to the intrusion. Once he was comfortable he whispered to Gohan to go ahead and add another, and once he did and Trunks had gotten used to both fingers, he told him where to press and how to curl his fingers, and Gohan was a quick learner. It was only seconds before Trunks was gasping and writhing in pleasure, flushing down to his chest and reminding Gohan, “Stop, don’t make me come.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry,” Gohan grinned, kissing at his jaw and slowing down his movements. “You’re just so pretty like this and you feel so good…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Imagine how good I’m gonna feel on your cock,” Trunks whispered devilishly, and Gohan whimpered and kissed him hard and deep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Trunks was ready and couldn’t take anymore anyway, he pushed Gohan’s arm away and asked, “How do you want me? Hands and knees?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan shook his head, grabbing the lube again and slicking himself up. “Wanna see your face.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled, laying back and letting his legs fall open further. “Okay. I’m all yours.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan then settled on top of him, kissing him softly and murmuring, “All mine, just for tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, wrapping his legs around Gohan’s narrow waist. He held Gohan’s face in his hands, looking into his eyes and his heart so full and aching that he couldn’t help but speak the next words that spilled from his lips. “I’ve missed you so much, Gohan.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan pressed his forehead to Trunks’ and closed his eyes. “I’ve missed you too, Trunks. I’m so proud of you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks drew in a shaky, shuddering breath, then reached down between them and took Gohan’s cock in hand, slowly guiding him in. Gohan was bigger than anything Trunks had taken in a long time, but he relished the pressure and the stretch as Gohan slowly sunk inside of him. Just knowing that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gohan</span>
  </em>
  <span> and that this was real made even slight discomfort feel like sheer bliss. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” he heard Gohan choke into his ear after he was fully seated. “Trunks, you’re - don’t move, I’ll come again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks smiled, running shaky fingers through Gohan’s hair. “Shhh, Gohan. Relax, take your time.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stayed like that for as long as Gohan needed to get control of himself, and Trunks didn’t mind in the least. They were joined as closely as two men could be, their skin slick with each other’s sweat and their scents mingling together beautifully, and Trunks was drunk on it. By the time Gohan finally started moving, had completely lost track of time and his entire existence had narrowed down to just that moment, this special stolen night between two friends who fate had torn apart far too prematurely. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gohan,” he whispered as the older man slowly built up a steady, lazy but deep rhythm, Gohan’s body feeling like heaven against his own. Gohan kissed him in reply, cupping his cheek and touching him like he was something precious, and Trunks could only hold him closer and ask him to go faster, to make him </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan was happy to oblige, and together they moved faster and harder and kissed with an open hunger, no boundaries between them anymore. Trunks couldn’t get enough, demanding </span>
  <em>
    <span>more, more, more</span>
  </em>
  <span> until he managed to turn them over and got himself on top of Gohan. He laid his hands on that broad chest and started riding him, groaning at the increased pleasure from the change in angle and closing his eyes, unaware of the awestruck way that Gohan was staring up at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan’s hands ran up Trunks’ thighs to his hips, his dark eyes hazy with lust as he purred, “God, Trunks, you’re incredible.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ eyes flickered open and he smiled down at his mentor, his long hair a wild wreck as it swished back and forth over his shoulders with each new roll of his hips. “Your cock feels so good, Master,” Trunks replied lowly, biting back a grin when it got exactly the reaction from Gohan he’d been hoping for. Gohan growled and sat up, crushing their lips together in a frantic and sloppy kiss as they raced towards their ends. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks broke the kiss when he felt it coming, the telltale tightening in his belly and the fire sparking within it. “Gohan, I’m - </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span> - I’m gonna come.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Gohan reached between them then and took Trunks’ cock in his hand, stroking fast and hard in the same rhythm they were rocking together in. “Me too,” Gohan whispered against his lips. “Come for me, Trunks, let go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks cried out softly as he came hard over Gohan’s fist and on to both of their chests, his body tightening and pulsing and pulling Gohan over right with him. He managed to keep his eyes open to watch as Gohan let out a shuddering breath and then dropped his head back, his hips stuttering and then falling still as he came deep inside of his former student. Then they collapsed down into the nest of blankets, Trunks lying heavily on top of Gohan, both of them breathing hard and flying high in the afterglow as it quickly set in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What a day</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Trunks thought absently to himself as he used Gohan’s sweat-slickened chest as a pillow. For once, a surprise from the universe had been a pleasant one and not some new all-powerful villain or apocalypse he was destined to try to thwart. He could get used to surprises, if they were gonna be like </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> every once in awhile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was about to open his mouth and ask Gohan if he wanted to get cleaned up or shower when a light snore from Gohan’s chest caught him off guard. He lifted his head and smiled fondly at the sight of Gohan knocked the hell out, and a quick glance to the clock on Trunks’ nightstand confirmed that it was well past 4 AM. Guess he’d needed some sleep after all, Trunks mused as he set about cleaning them up as best he could without waking him. Once he was done he settled back into Gohan’s side, smiling again when Gohan groaned quietly and pulled him closer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh, ready to fall into his own slumber. Tomorrow they would say goodbye and not see one another again until Trunks’ time on the Earth was over, but that was okay. Trunks hadn’t realized how much he’d needed this until now, unaware of how badly the complete lack of closure and proper goodbyes between them had wounded him and left him unable to truly move on the way that he needed to. But now that they’d spent the day - and the night - together and there were no more secrets between them, and now that Gohan had given Trunks his blessing to follow his heart into the other timeline, Trunks felt an unexpected sense of freedom. Gohan had lifted the weight of the world from his shoulders, and nobody else but him could have done it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A small tear trickled down Trunks’ cheek and landed on Gohan’s chest. He would miss the hell out of Gohan and he always would, but they would meet again someday and Gohan would be waiting in Otherworld to welcome him home. Until then, Trunks decided as he drifted off to sleep, he would make the most of the many years that he had left and seize his chance at love while it was still within his grasp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s sweet face was the last thing that flashed in his mind’s eye before sleep overtook him. Goten belonged to Trunks, and so help him, Trunks would </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Future Trunks returns to Goten’s timeline and starts making arrangements.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay so, addressing the last chapter lol:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This fic was always going to be messy and rough from the get go - I meant it to be that way. It’s called The Next Best Thing because in a perfect world, imo, Future Trunks and Future Gohan would have been able to survive the androids together and eventually fall in love someday, and regular Trunks and Goten would have found their way to each other too. But the whole point of the story is the concept of neither being possible and thus F Trunks and Goten finding happiness within the next best thing - each other. And for Goten, he’s had little tastes of what life with his Trunks could be like, and they’ve been best friends their whole lives. Future Trunks on the other hand lost Gohan when he was 14, never got to say goodbye, never got to tell him how much he loved him, never got to know what might have grown between them had Gohan lived and gotten to know Trunks as an adult. He had no closure, and yes while he’d had plenty of time to move on and he did, the wound never really properly healed, you know? </p>
<p>Originally when planning the chapter I was only going to have F Trunks and F Gohan kiss, but as I was writing it the chapter took the turn that it did and it felt right to give them their moment, considering that it was a one-time once in a lifetime opportunity and that Gohan poses no threat to Goten, being dead and all lol. My goal was to write it in a way that felt like closure more than anything else but I can see now that I could have done a lot better, especially with that second to last paragraph that made it sound like Trunks was happy to bide his time with Goten until he was reunited with Gohan someday - 100% not what I was trying to express. More like, he was choosing to not be sad and grieve over Gohan going back to the Otherworld when he has a whole lifetime with Goten potentially at his fingertips, especially considering he’d see Gohan again someday and it was just a temporary goodbye (because at the end of the day, Gohan will always be Future Trunks’ mentor and the man who shaped him and believed in him and made him who he is - his importance to Trunks cannot be overstated, platonic or otherwise). But as I said, it’s on me to articulate these things and if multiple readers take something a totally different way, then that means I need to do better which I will definitely try to do from now on. </p>
<p>As far as Goten’s reaction, I had it written already before I posted the last chapter and the feedback I’ve gotten has led me to rethinking what I wrote, so now I’m going to rewrite it and see what happens. I  wasn’t really a fan of what I’d written anyway so I think tweaking it is the right thing to do, even if it delays the story a bit. This fic is getting pretty close to the end now so I’m gonna take my time with the rest of the chapters and make sure I get it all right, because I really love this story and I want it to be the best that it can be 🥺 thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter, and for both the good and the bad comments lol, I really appreciate all of you who have read and gotten invested enough to leave such thought-provoking feedback, and I hope to eventually wrap up the story in a way that will be satisfying for most readers (and I still plan on writing two different endings so you all can pick which one you like better 😂). Thank you guys again, and I’ll see you soon!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It was a typical day on the Capsule Corp grounds, more or less. Bulma was enjoying the sunshine in a lounge chair, enjoying a decadent dessert with Whis who was sat next to her in his own chair, and on the grass before them two pairs of Saiyans were enjoying a bit of light sparring. The first was Bulla and Pan, now 13 and 14 years respectively, and naturally the second pair was Goku and Vegeta. The sounds of their grunts and fists connecting had weirdly become almost comforting to Bulma over the years, and even though she complained about the damage to her landscaping and other side effects of constant Saiyan-on-Saiyan sparring, she wouldn’t have had it any other way. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The only ones missing were Trunks and Goten. In fact, she’d seen less and less of the pair over the last year, and while they were both tight lipped and claimed that nothing was wrong, she was of course a genius and not born yesterday. She’d known something was wrong for some time now, and Trunks calling off his engagement with Lily had only confirmed her suspicions. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta had been relieved when Bulma told him the news, but Bulma didn’t share his perspective. Lily had been lovely and had cared for Trunks for who he was and not for his status, and they’d made a fantastic couple. She had thought that Trunks was in love with her and that he’d finally found a girl who could make him settle down and stop chasing every skirt in West City, but apparently she’d been wrong. And to make things worse, Trunks refused to tell her what the hell had happened aside from </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m fine, Mom, I just need some time to figure things out. I screwed up a lot of shit and I’m just… I’m working through it.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t like her son to be so cagey and introspective, and it was even less like him to not be physically joined to Goten’s hip at every opportunity. She wasn’t sure of how the oddities were connected but she was sure that they were. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Little did she know, the mystery was about to take a turn for the stranger. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Whis was filling Bulma in on some lurid gossip from Universe 6 when a faint shimmer in the sky caught Bulma’s eye. She glanced up and watched as the shimmer grew and took on a swirling motion, distorting the appearance of the atmosphere around it, and she knew what that meant. Both pairs of brawling Saiyans also stopped and looked up as a bright, blinding light exploded just before the distinct shape of Future Trunks’ time machine took form and began to descend towards the earth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my,” Whis hummed, spooning the last bit of turtle sundae into his elegant mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta narrowed his eyes. “What’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> doing back here?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma rolled her eyes, surprising Vegeta by appearing behind him and knocking him on the shoulder. “Is that any way to greet your own son?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“More often than not a visit from him has meant a looming apocalypse,” Vegeta retorted with a scowl, “so forgive me if I’m not jumping for joy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goku rubbed the back of his head, his other hand on his hip. “Yeah, sure hope nothing bad’s happened.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Behind them, Pan blinked at the time machine and blushed before leaning in close and asking Bulla, “That’s your future brother, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulla made a face and pushed Pan away. “Yes, and your crush on him is still gross.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pan turned bright red and whisper-yelled, “I do not have a crush on him! He’s just super cool! Besides, you’re one to talk about crushes when you’re obsessed with my uncle Goten!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Bulla replied indignantly before tackling the older girl to the ground, and the two teenagers scuffled as the time machine’s hatch opened up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma glanced back and grimaced at her daughter’s antics before turning back to the time machine and smiling brightly as her son emerged. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, he’s not all beaten up, so that’s a good sign!” Goku noted with a chuckle. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Trunks!” Bulma greeted cheerfully, pulling the boy into a warm hug the minute his feet hit the earth. “You’re back so soon! Is everything okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, Mom,” Trunks smiled, returning her embrace. “Everything’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled away and guessed, “Just here for another visit, then?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well,” Trunks blushed faintly, dropping his eyes, “maybe. I need to talk to you and Father.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma’s brows furrowed with concern. “Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s complicated, but I’m hoping not.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma sighed, worried but also amused at how mysterious her alternate timeline son always was. “Okay,” she patted his shoulder. “Follow me. I’ll make us some tea and we can talk.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, then nodded again to Vegeta who gave his usual stoic greeting. Goku waved happily and asked how the future was, and while Trunks gave a cheerfully generic reply, Pan shoved Bulla off of herself and quickly stood up, brushing the dirt from her jeans and flashing Future Trunks a bright smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re so cringey!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Bulla hissed, sweeping Pan’s legs out from under her, and just like that the girls were squabbling again. Bulma sighed and ignored them, too concerned about what we had brought Trunks back to care what bees were in their bonnets. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She never would have guessed in a thousand years why Trunks had actually come, but she was about to find out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks sat in the living room, tea untouched on its saucer in front of him, swallowing hard as his eyes scanned the three faces in the room. Bulma looked worried but also fascinated, Vegeta looked grumpy as per usual with his arms crossed, and Whis - who was present upon Trunks’ request - appeared peacefully intrigued. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a deep breath. This was going to be awkward, but it needed to be done. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” he began after a long moment, “I think the first thing I should tell you guys is that I’ve actually been visiting this world secretly pretty frequently, over the last 6 months or so.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma’s eyes widened. “Really? How come?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He swallowed. “I… fell in love.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta groaned. Whis simply smiled, and Bulma’s already wide eyes grew huge as she gasped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?!” Bulma squealed. “Oh, Trunks! That’s…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Unwise,” Vegeta scowled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Trunks acknowledged with a quiet chuckle. “I know. But it happened.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So who is it?” Bulma smiled, clearly not sharing Vegeta’s pessimistic reaction. “Someone we know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks gave her a pained smile back. “Well, here’s the thing - I can’t really tell you yet. I will as soon as I can, but the reason I came here to have this talk with you guys is because I… well, I want to stay here in this timeline. Permanently.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta remained impassive. Bulma gasped yet again, this time with pure excitement, and Whis laughed airily as he said, “Oh, dear - after my Lord and I so generously allowed you to return to your own timeline before Zamasu’s reign of terror could begin, you so quickly wish to leave that world for good?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s why I wanted to make sure you were a part of this conversation,” Trunks replied. “I wanted to make sure I’m not breaking some universal law even thinking about doing this. I don’t want to cause any more trouble than I already have.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Whis sighed. “Well, as you know, Trunks, time travel in itself is blasphemy of the highest order,” he said with a casual wave of his hand. “And you have seen yourself firsthand what dire consequences are had when one meddles with the natural order of things.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes I have,” Trunks muttered. “And I’m pretty sure I screwed things up between the person I love and someone else they might have ended up with had I not interfered. But what’s done is done and I can’t undo it now.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And now you wish to salvage the situation by staying with this person and making this world your permanent home? And what of your loved ones in your own timeline?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can visit my mother in my time machine,” Trunks replied. “And since there’s another me in that world, it will still be protected from future threats, and my mom won’t be lonely.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It sounds like it would work,” Bulma noted. “I don’t see anything wrong with you staying.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta </span>
  <em>
    <span>hmphed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “Of course you don’t.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You object, Vegeta?” Whis asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta didn’t answer, opting to stare right through Trunks instead. Trunks looked from him to Whis and sighed, “Listen, I know it’s weird and that my staying here could cause problems. That’s why I came here to talk it out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I must admit, it would help if we knew who this mystery lover of yours is,” Whis noted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta scoffed yet again, closing his eyes and crossing his arms tightly. “Isn’t it obvious? It’s Kakarot’s brat.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks froze. Bulma froze. Whis raised an index finger to his lips. “Isn’t Gohan married with children?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>Gohan</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you weirdo - Goten, of course!” Vegeta spat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks stared at his father dumbly, blinking owlishly for several long seconds before asking in utter bewilderment, “How… how did you know…?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma’s eyes bulged. “Wait, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> Goten? </span>
  <em>
    <span>What?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta rolled his eyes. “During Trunks’ last visit I smelled that third class’ stench all over him. Then, multiple times over the last few months, I sensed what I thought was </span>
  <em>
    <span>our</span>
  </em>
  <span> Trunks’ ki, only to find out he was somewhere else entirely, meaning there was a second ki signature of his present. Now I know it was because of this one’s ‘secret visits’.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blushed. He supposed he really hadn’t been as careful as he’d thought. Oh well. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... Goten and Trunks </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> been kind of distant with each other lately, too,” Bulma noted, the gears in her head visibly turning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks frowned, looking away. “Yeah, I… screwed things up between them.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bulma’s jaw dropped. “Wait, were they… </span>
  <em>
    <span>involved</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Is that why Trunks called off the wedding?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Trunks shook his head. “Listen - that part isn’t my story to tell. Other Me has plenty of reason to hate me and not want me in his world, which makes this idea even more complicated.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Indeed,” Whis mused. “This </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a very messy situation, Trunks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of all the people in the world - in </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> worlds - you just </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> to fall for that dimwitted carbon copy of Kakarot, didn’t you?” Vegeta growled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” Trunks replied, his tone turning less apologetic and more defensive. “Trust me. But it did, and I just want to make things right.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sounds as if it’s too late for that,” Vegeta pointed out, “and as if you’ve put a wedge between my son and his idiot best friend.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Bulma elbowed Vegeta in the ribs, “go easy on him! It’s not like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>tried</span>
  </em>
  <span> to screw anything up! You can hardly choose who you fall in love with. I’m living proof of that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vegeta blinked and then turned suddenly offended eyes on his wife. “And what is that supposed to mean?!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Vegeta and Bulma began squabbling like the old married couple they were, Whis sighed and got to his feet. “Let’s take a walk, shall we, Trunks?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a breath and nodded, secretly relieved. “Sure.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let me guess,” Trunks said after he and the angel had begun their stroll around the CC grounds, “I need to go back to my own world.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure,” Whis replied breezily. “At this point, any hope of untangling your two timelines has long been dashed, and you clearly have very little self control so long as that time machine is in your possession.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks frowned, watching his feet as they walked. He couldn’t really argue. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And it seems most of the damage has already been done, according to you,” Whis added. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. I think Goten and Other Me would have found their way to each other eventually if I hadn’t interfered. But now, even if I never saw Goten again, I don’t know that it would do any good.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That certainly is quite the predicament,” Whis nodded. “Couples have very significant effects on the course of history - imagine for example if your mother and father had never conceived you, or if Goku and his wife had never conceived their children. You and Goku’s son might not be capable of conception the old fashioned way but you are certainly capable of parenthood - we can only speculate the children that the other Trunks would have raised with Goten versus you and Goten.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blushed. “... We definitely haven’t talked about having kids yet but yeah, I understand. It’s pretty scary to think about.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It could have drastic consequences or next to none - there is no way to be sure. This is why meddling with time is strictly forbidden. But as we’ve already established, to quote a human phrase, that ship has sailed.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, so… what now?” Trunks asked, feeling like he was getting very mixed signals. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, that is up to you,” Whis replied. “I cannot tell you what to do, not in this situation. I can, however, give you advice that you can choose to either follow or ignore.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please,” Trunks nodded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“The person whose permission you should be seeking isn’t mine or either of your parents, it’s the other </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It is his existence that will be most impacted by your permanent presence here and who might cause the most trouble for you - and vice versa.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks took a deep breath, having known deep down that it would likely come to this. “Yeah. I think you’re right. I doubt he’s gonna be okay with me hanging around, though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Perhaps, but that is beyond both your control and mine,” Whis shrugged. “I do wish you all the best, Trunks. You are a fine warrior with a pure heart, despite your multiple crimes and acts of blasphemy.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks blinked, smiling. “Thanks… I think?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You are welcome,” Whis smiled cheerfully. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I think your mother said something about a new flavor of that glorious ramen that I’ve yet to try…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks chuckled under his breath as the angel headed back inside the compound, calling out </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh Bulma, I do believe it’s lunchtime!</span>
  </em>
  <span> as Trunks let out a breath and looked up towards the sky. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He then closed his eyes and, after only a few seconds of focus, he sensed his other self’s ki across town. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He would much rather go see Goten instead and spend the day with him, distracting himself from what he knew he must do, but he’d never been one to take the easy way out before. Instead he braced himself and took off into the sky, hoping that the coming confrontation wouldn’t end in disaster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks had never been very good at meditating. It was more Goten’s forte, which Trunks liked to joke was due to his generally emptier head, but that was of course not actually the case. It just didn’t come naturally for Trunks, but he still practiced it fairly regularly and gained benefits from it when he did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Today, however, it was doing exactly dick for him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks let out a deep, tired sigh and slumped his shoulders, opening his eyes and staring out into the empty valley before him. He’d been sitting on a cliff for the last two hours and he had to wonder how the hell this worked so well for Piccolo and even his father. Did they really get that much out of this, or were they secretly napping when they spent ages in the wilderness alone? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Not that he could nap very well under the hot sun and with bugs buzzing past his ears every five seconds. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ugh</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thought as he grabbed a canteen of water and brought it to his lips, he was too much of a city boy for this. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was after he downed several gulps of water that he sensed a strong energy coming his way. He paused and focused on the ki, and it was with a start that he recognized it as his </span>
  <em>
    <span>own</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He scowled and glared in the direction the energy was coming from. So the bastard was back. Great. Fantastic. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When it became clear that the ki wasn’t changing directions, Trunks ran a hand through his hair and cracked his neck, staying where he was and deciding to see what the hell it was the other him wanted. Maybe it was to gloat, or to apologize. He wasn’t sure which option would piss him off more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he heard boots touch down on the ground behind him, Trunks clenched his jaw. He listened as his alternate self paused for a moment before stepping forward and sitting himself down next to Trunks, but Trunks kept his eyes forward and didn’t spare the other man so much as a glance. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know I’m probably the last person you want to see. You’re not my favorite either, but we need to talk.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Well, at least he was honest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll cut to the chase. I’m in love with Goten and I want to be with him. I want to live here in your world - permanently. I’ve talked to our parents and to Whis, and I’ve made my arrangements back home. But I haven’t spoken to Goten yet because… well, this is your world. I don’t want to do this without your permission.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks laughed bitterly, but he still didn’t look at the other man. “First time for everything, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks paused. “For what it’s worth, I’m not proud of how all of this happened. But it did happen. And you can hate me all you want - I don’t blame you for it - but hating me won’t make what happened go away.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” Trunks finally let his eyes shift to his other self, and it was so strange how it was like looking in a mirror but also like looking at a stranger at the same time. They couldn’t be more different, he thought. “And you’re right. I do hate you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks didn’t look away. “I understand.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course you do. ‘Cause you’re so perfect,” Trunks sneered. “You’re so much better than me that you took my best friend from me. I bet my parents like you better, too.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t take him from you,” Future Trunks argued gently. “He’s always gonna love you. The bond you two have - I can’t touch that, even if I wanted to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bullshit. You’ve more than touched it, buddy. Nothing’s ever gonna be the same because of you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe not. But that doesn’t mean you’re not still two halves of a whole.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks winced, unable to hide the sharp stab to his heart at those words. If that was true, why did he feel like that other half of him had been ripped away and like there was only an open, bleeding wound in its place? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know why you’re here,” Trunks admitted, “unless it’s just to feel better about yourself. Less guilt if I give you my blessing, right? God, you’re such a prick.” Then he laughed. “But then again so am I. Guess we really are the same person.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks didn’t seem to quite know what to say to that. Trunks let out a sigh and, eyes facing forward again, quietly asked, “Do you really love him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. More than I know how to say.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded. “He’s easy to love. Also easy to hurt. So don’t do that. You’d better treat him like a damn king. This bullshit will all be worth it in the end if he’s happy.” Future Trunks blinked at him in surprise, and Trunks rolled his eyes. “I’ve recently come to the realization that I’m a selfish, egocentric bastard. I’m trying to stop being a piece of shit, so I figure this is a good first step. Putting Goten’s happiness ahead of my own.” He then shot Future Trunks a glare. “Don’t make me regret it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I won’t,” Future Trunks nodded solemnly. “Thank you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck off,” Trunks muttered, looking away. “You fuck up and break his heart and I swear I’ll put you in the ground first chance I get.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Understood.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks then waved his hand as if to shoo his other self away. “Now get lost. You interrupted my meditation.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Future Trunks nodded and got to his feet. He walked back to the spot he’d touched down at and paused, glancing at Trunks over his shoulder. “You know, I’m always gonna worry about him waking up one day and realizing he loves you more than he’ll ever love me. You might think that I’ve ‘won’ or something, but… none of this is that cut and dry. I don’t think Goten realizes that yet.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks scoffed. “Are you trying to give me some kind of twisted sense of hope?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No. Just letting you know you’re not the only one who’s gonna have a hard time sleeping at night.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then he blasted off into the sky, and Trunks was alone again. He let out a deep breath and then laid back on the rocky, hard ground, closing his eyes and hoping Future Trunks would collide with a wayward blimp on his flight and drop dead. It would solve so much, he mused. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then, with an annoyed growl, he sat up and began to get to his feet. “All right, Trunks,” he said once he was at full height, “no more moping. You’re a fucking Saiyan Prince and a certified genius, and the richest man on the planet. You can do better than this.” He took a deep breath. “You can </span>
  <em>
    <span>be</span>
  </em>
  <span> better than this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And he would, he resolved. He might not have been the one to win Goten’s heart, but he would become someone worthy of his love and devotion even if it killed him. He would shed the ego that had sabotaged every good thing he had and leave it behind in the past where it belonged, so that his future could be one worth having. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He looked up towards the sky. He was getting an idea of how to get started. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>—</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh,” Goten grimaced, kicking at the tractor that had just crapped out on him yet again. “Piece of junk. It’s too hot for this.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He swiped his arm over his forehead, his bangs making him sweat worse, but they weren’t long enough to reach the ponytail he’d thrown the rest of his hair into. He was wearing his dad’s farming gear, or at least the tan pants and black tank part of it, and the day had been going fine until the damn finicky tractor had decided to be a dick. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Recalling that time he’d driven a tractor off a cliff as a child, he decided he just had bad luck with tractors. Oh well. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Leaning against the front of the vehicle, he uncapped a bottle of water and brought it to his lips, draining half the contents. He then grabbed his phone from his pocket and checked the time - not long until dinner, he noted with relief. He was starving and nothing sounded better than his mother’s cooking after a long hot day tending the fields. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After finishing off the water and pocketing his phone, he took a few steps forward and began to stretch, working out a few kinks that had formed during the day. Once he’d straightened back up and was getting ready to fly back to his childhood home, he froze when two palms suddenly landed on his eyes and a cheeky, deep voice murmured in his ear, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Guess who</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His jaw dropped. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He whipped around and felt his heart perform an impressive backflip at the sight of Future Trunks smiling back at him. He squealed with joy and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly as he exclaimed, “Trunks! You’re back again so soon!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then he pulled away and kissed Trunks deeply, his happiness palpable and overwhelming even though it had only been a few days since they’d last seen each other. It had felt like much, much longer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn,” Trunks chuckled after breaking their kiss, pulling away just far enough to eye Goten up and down. “I kinda like this look on you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If you have a secret farmer fantasy I’ve got you covered,” Goten winked. “Tractor’s broken down but it’s good enough to fuck in.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks laughed, then kissed him again, fingers slipping into his ponytail. “I’ll keep that in mind.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So,” Goten smiled, “How long are you here for?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks merely smiled and didn’t answer. Goten cocked his head and smiled back, “What?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks reached out and cupped Goten’s cheek, gazing at him like he adored him more than anything else in all of existence. Goten blinked, confused but definitely not minding the attention. “Trunks?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Goten,” Trunks began softly, thumb tracing his cheekbone, “how long would you </span>
  <em>
    <span>like</span>
  </em>
  <span> me to stay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s smile shrank slightly out of sheer confusion. “... What?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me,” Trunks urged him gently. “How long would you like me to stay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know the answer to that,” Goten replied quietly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I want to hear it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“... I want you to stay forever,” Goten finally answered, wondering what he was getting at. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks’ smile widened. “Good,” he murmured, eyes drifting briefly down to Goten’s lips, “because this time I’m not leaving.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes widened. He had to be dreaming, or this had to be some kind of trick - this was obviously not real. It couldn’t be. “B-but… Trunks, you - what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks grinned and leaned their foreheads together. “I’m serious. I’m staying, Goten. I worked it all out. I’m gonna visit my mom back home whenever I can, but from now on I’m staying here. With you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten’s eyes filled with tears, his heart so full it felt like it could burst. “But - your world, you said it was your duty to protect it and…”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Trunks nodded, lifting his head from Goten’s. “Yeah. It’s a long story, but… I got a visit from someone in Otherworld that changed a lot.” At Goten’s confused expression, Trunks added, “I’ll tell you everything, I promise. But I’m here for good, Goten. For as long as you’ll have me.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The tears that had been bubbling up spilled down Goten’s cheeks, and he smiled so widely it almost hurt. “You mean that?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I promise,” Trunks nodded, cradling his face. “I love you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Goten couldn’t speak, far too overwhelmed to form words. Instead he kissed Trunks with everything he had, knocking him back a bit with the force of it, and while he was still suspicious that this was all just a dream that he’d wake from any second, he could honestly say that he’d never once felt happier in his entire life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If it was a dream, he could only hope that he’d never wake up. </span>
</p>
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